Paired Texts > Letter from Mary Mallon: On Being 'Typhoid Mary'

by Mary Mallon 1909

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.

Court Rejects New York City's Portion Cap for Sugary Drinks
Court Rejects New York City's Portion Cap for Sugary Drinks
Dr. Lisa Firestone

In 2014, Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, designed a proposal known as the soda ban that would put limits on the size of sugary drinks. The proposal was favored among health advocates, including the Board of Health, who argued that sugary drinks were linked to rising obesity rates and healthcare costs.

Pair “Court Rejects New York City’s Portion Cap for Sugary Drinks” with “Letter from Mary Mallon: On Being ‘Typhoid Mary’” and ask students to discuss health and governmental control. To what extent does any authority (especially federal) hold power over personal/national health concerns?

8th Grade Opinion 1360L
The House Dog and The Wolf
The House Dog and The Wolf
Gail Terp

In the fable "The House Dog and the Wolf," a wolf must make the choice between comfort and freedom.

Pair “The House Dog and the Wolf” with “Letter from Mary Mallon: On Being Typhoid Mary” to spark an in-class debate about freedom and security. Do we have to give up some freedoms in order to be safe? How much freedom should we give up?

5th Grade Fable 510L