Mansfield Park Lesson Plan

The "Business" in Antigua

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will discuss the presence of the slave trade in the novel thus far.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3; • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6

Structure:

Mansfield Park is unique amongst Austen's novels in its explicit mention of how a manor like Mansfield Park maintains itself and provides a living for men of the household. Sir Thomas's "business" in Antigua is a sugar plantation run by slaves, which he must leave Mansfield to attend to, presumably because it is not properly making enough money under the current...