• “I’ve read Pride and Prejudice a couple of times. It’s one of my favorite books, which usually surprises people. I guess they wonder how a love story from 19th century England could be relevant to a 21st century basketball player from the Southside of Chicago. Class struggle, overcoming stereotypes and humble beginnings, getting out of your own way and letting love take over: these are things I can relate to, definitely. Reading the classics is like opening a door to a world that at first looks so different from mine, but when I look closer, is filled with people who struggle with the same things I do. And the great thing is, they may be a little farther along in their struggle than I am, so I can actually learn something.

» Dwyane Wade, NBA All-Star Guard, Miami Heat

Through the Tunnel

By Doris Lessing1955

Before Reading

1. Write about a time you took a risk. (Could be a physical, emotional, or social risk.)

ORWrite about an event that made you feel more “adult.”

Contrition: deeply felt remorse; feeling sorry for bad behavior

Luminous: Full of light, illuminated

Supplication: the act of humbly asking for; 2. a humble entreaty or petition; prayer

During Reading

2. What do we know about Jerry and his mother? How would you describe their relationship.

3. Make a prediction. What do you think is going to happen? (And what might this story really be about?)

4. What do you think motivates Jerry to try so hard to make the swim (Think about the setting, the older boys, his mother…)

After Reading: Discuss in Pairs

• What does it mean to Jerry that he made it through the tunnel? Why does it seem so important?

• In your opinion, was the risk of swimming through the tunnel worth it? (Consider all the possible consequences of success or failure.)

Literary Terms

• Symbol: A literary symbol is a person or thing that stands for something beyond itself. (The dove is a symbol of peace)

• What do you think the tunnel might symbolize in “Through The Tunnel?”

• Conflict: A struggle between two forces

• External Conflict: A struggle between two characters, between a character and a group, between a character and a force of nature

• Internal Conflict: A struggle that takes place within a character’s mind or heart

• Theme: A general idea or insight about life that a work of literature reveals.

• Examples – War destroys the good along with the bad.

• True love survives all obstacles.

After Reading: Write your answers

4. How might Jerry change (mature, grow, evolve) as a result of having taken the risk he did by swimming through the tunnel.

5. A literary symbol is a person or thing that stands for something beyond itself. What do you think the tunnel symbolizes in the story?

• Incredulous: 1. Skeptical; disbelieving: incredulous of stories about flying saucers. 2. Expressive of disbelief: an incredulous stare.

• Gout: 1. A disturbance of uric-acid metabolism occurring chiefly in males, characterized by painful inflammation of the joints, especially of the feet and hands, and arthritic attacks resulting from elevated levels of uric acid in the blood and the deposition of urate crystals around the joints. The condition can become chronic and result in deformity. 2. A large blob or clot: "and makes it bleed great gouts of blood" (Oscar Wilde).

• Supplication: 1. the act of humbly asking for; 2. a humble entreaty or petition; prayer

• Beseeching: 1. Addressing an earnest or urgent request to; imploring: beseeching them for help. 2. Requesting earnestly; begging for: beseeching help.

Discussion Questions

1. How does Jerry feel about himself after swimming through the tunnel?

2. How would you describe Jerry’s relationship with his mother? What passages from the story could serve as examples to support your observations?

Discuss in pairs – Do not write your answers.

• Does the motivation or reason behind risk-taking matter? Should it matter? What difference does it make?

• What is the difference between foolhardiness and bravery/courage? Which does Jerry demonstrate and why?

3. Why do you think it is so important to Jerry to take the risk he did? Think about his age, his interactions with the older boys, how he reacted when the boys left, and what he was trying to prove to himself.

Freewrite Options:

4. What most motivates Jerry to swim through the tunnel? Is it is own culture, his desire to be like the other boys from a different culture, or something strictly personal? What details lead you to this conclusion?

5. In what ways might Jerry’s triumph in the tunnel be seen as “heroic”? Why?