"Jocasta" in particular is a story featuring the sexual abuse of a young boy by his mother; to the extent that the teacher feels it necessary, the classroom may be warned about this content beforehand. The teacher should make it clear that it is of the utmost importance to maintain an atmosphere of understanding and empathy around these topics even when they are fictionalized, and students who find the content too traumatic to cope with should have opportunities to discuss this with the teacher and opt out of participation if needed.
The thought questions in this lesson plan provide material and ideas that students can use to write short original essays and to develop their powers of...
