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Paired Texts: Spunk

by Zora Neale Hurston

1926

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.

8th Grade Poem
If We Must Die
  • Claude McKay
  • 1919

Claude McKay (1889-1948) was a Jamaican-American writer and poet who was a seminal figure during the Harlem Renaissance. In this poem, McKay discusses facing death and other obstacles with courage and dignity, and reflects upon his perspective on the black experience during early 20th century America.

Pair “If We Must Die” with “Spunk” and ask students to discuss the theme of facing death. Compare the message of McKay’s speaker to the way Joe faces his death in “Spunk.” How do students think McKay’s speaker would feel about Joe’s death? Does Joe “nobly die”? Why or why not? How do both texts represent the characteristics of Harlem Renaissance literature?
10th Grade Fiction 930L
Excerpt from 'A Christmas Carol': Marley's Ghost
  • Charles Dickens
  • 1843

In the first chapter of A Christmas Carol, titled “Marley’s Ghost,” a greedy old miser by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge is visited in the night by an old friend, who warns him to change his ways before it is too late.

Pair “Excerpt from ‘A Christmas Carol’: Marley's Ghost” with “Spunk” and ask students to discuss the presence of the supernatural in both stories. How do “spirits” appear in each text? Why do they return to the world of the living and influence other characters? How do other characters respond to their appearances?
8th Grade Short Story 730L
Lamb to the Slaughter
  • Roald Dahl
  • 1953

In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Roald Dahl tells the story of a woman betrayed by her husband and her violent retaliation.

Pair “Lamb to the Slaughter” with “Spunk” and ask students to discuss the justifications for revenge found in both texts. Why do Joe and Mary seek revenge? How do their feelings about their spouses affect their actions? Why do students think that the actions of either character are either justified or unjustified?
8th Grade Informational Text 1290L
The Harlem Renaissance
  • Jessica McBirney
  • 2017

In the informational text “The Harlem Renaissance,” Jessica McBirney discusses how the movement developed and the effect it had on America.

Pair “The Harlem Renaissance” with “Spunk” to provide students with historical context regarding the time in which Zora Neale Hurston wrote many of her works. Ask students to discuss how the Harlem Renaissance may have influenced Hurston’s writing. How does Hurston address the African American experience? How does Hurston’s work fit within the Harlem Renaissance movement?
12th Grade Short Story 980L
Sweat
  • Zora Neale Hurston
  • 1926

In the short story “Sweat,” a working woman tormented by her husband loses her patience.

Pair “Spunk” with “Sweat” and ask students to pay close attention to Hurston’s distinctive narrative style. What similarities exist between the two short stories? How does the author’s use of dialogue contribute to the effect of her stories?