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Lesson 1 (from Part 1: In the Bronx and 17 April)

Objective

One of the major challenges DeLillo faces in this novel is turning Lee Harvey Oswald into a relateable human being. He begins this process by dramatizing Oswald's ambling, unhappy youth in New York.

The objective of this lesson is to examine the humanizing characteristics of DeLillo's Oswald.

Lesson

1. For class discussion: As a class, review the first chapter of the novel, In the Bronx, and make a list on the board of challenges and disadvantages that young Lee Oswald faces. What does he have to struggle against at a young age? Ask the class what personal details of Oswald's life the class knew before starting Libra. How does the knowledge that he grew up in such adversity change students view of him? Is it a positive of negative change?

2. Divide the class into several groups and assign each group a notorious historical figure: John Wilkes Booth...

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