Madame Butterfly Lesson Plan

Comparing Texts

Kind of Activity:

Research

Objective:

Students will be able to compare and contrast different versions of the Madama Butterfly Story, including David Belasco's play and John Luther Long's short story, and discuss the problematic aspects of each version.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7

Structure:

Part One:

Read the first 5 pages of David Belasco's play, Madame Butterfly, and answer the following questions in note form.

1. What elements of the story remain the same in Puccini's version?

2. Which lines do you recognize?

3. How are the characters different?

4. Is this work more or less problematic than the opera? Why?

Part Two:

Read...