Paired Texts > How You See Yourself

by Set to Go 2019

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Self-Concept
Self-Concept
Saul McLeod

"Self-Concept" introduces several psychology concepts that describe how people think about themselves.

Pair “Self-Concept” with “How You See Yourself” to provide students with background information about self-concept. How do the three different components of self-concept work together? What is the relationship between self-image, self-esteem, and ideal self? How does “Self-Concept” support the idea of a stable self-image from “How You See Yourself”? How does Saul McLeod further argue the importance of self-image?

9th Grade Psychology 1080L
Trophic Cascade
Trophic Cascade
Camille T. Dungy

In "Trophic Cascade," a speaker compares motherhood to the effects of a trophic cascade (a term for when a top predator is added or removed to an environment).

Pair “How You See Yourself” with “Trophic Cascade” and ask students to discuss the concepts of identity presented in both. Do students think the speaker in “Trophic Cascade” has a strong sense of self? How do we develop our sense of self, especially during periods of transition and change?

9th Grade Poem
Excerpt from "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"
Excerpt from "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"
Thomas Hardy

In this excerpt from Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Ubervilles, a man encounters someone who reveals an interesting fact about his ancestry.

Pair “Excerpt from 'Tess of the d’Ubervilles'” with “How You See Yourself” to provide students with a character who experiences challenges with self-image. How does Jack Durbeyfield’s self-concept change throughout the text? What struggles does this cause? How does Durbeyfield’s experience compare to the idea of a gap between self-image and actual self as addressed in “How You See Yourself”? Use evidence from both texts to support your thinking.

11th Grade Short Story 1100L