Dreamland Burning

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What were Jim Crow laws? What were their origins? When did Jim Crow laws end?

Teaching Suggestion: The setting of the novel is in Tulsa, both in the present and in 1921 during the Tulsa Race Riot; the portion of the novel set in 1921 takes place in a southern state where Jim Crow laws were in effect. With sensitivity to racial identity, consider reading the articles below to help students understand the historical context of the novel. Students may benefit from additional time for investigation of the prompt’s topics with other scholarly resources as well.

• This article describes the beginning and end of Jim Crow laws in southern states.
• This 5-minute video describes how Jim Crow laws got their name.

2. What was the Tulsa Race Massacre? What was Black Wall Street? What is a news blackout?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivity to racial identity, consider reading the two articles below, which describe the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street. If the ideas are new to them, students may benefit from additional time to investigate the prompt’s topics with scholarly resources they discover independently. Greenwood is the location of many incidents that occur in the novel. The Tulsa Race Massacre is part of the conflict Will is involved in and also explains the body that is buried in Rowan’s backyard.

• This article describes the Tulsa Race Massacre and the subsequent cover-up.
• This article describes what Black Wall Street was and provides some additional perspectives on the Tulsa Race Massacre. A 15-minute audio reading of the article may be played at the site.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

As people living in modern times, we like to think that our society has come a long way. Many of the belief systems people have embraced over the centuries are appalling to us today, and some things people once considered appalling no longer have that effect on us.

Do you think a group of people, even a very large one, could be so influenced by societal norms that the people would make immoral decisions? Is democracy flawed because people will continually choose to vote in self-serving ways? Even if people make good choices, what obstacles stand in the way of justice today? Are there any examples of societies that have made poor choices that nonetheless reflect the views of the majority? What defines morality, and how does the definition change over time?

Teaching Suggestion: If the concept of a dual narrative or two timelines is new to students, this might be a beneficial time to introduce this literary structure. In the novel, Will and Rowan must each confront difficult ideas about their culture and societal norms regarding race. Will, in particular, must overcome the racial norms in Tulsa; because the prevailing attitudes of the time were motivated by racial prejudice, laws restricted the rights of people of color in the South. This points to a flaw in democracy and the uncertainty of ever-changing moral attitudes. It may be helpful for students to consider the two videos below before responding.

• This 2-minute video describes what morality is and how it changes over time; vocabulary and terms used may give students precise language for answering the prompt.
• This 5-minute video offers one point of view on why Socrates disliked the concept of democracy. Students might reference Socrates’s solution to the problems facing democracy in their response and discuss his opinion.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who require an additional challenge, a replacement assignment might include the study and discussion of past cultural norms that are not accepted today. Students might research and write about the impact of colonization, prohibition, slavery, or public execution instead of addressing the above prompt. Ask students to speculate on changing cultural norms around these or other topics and the modern practices that may be unheard of in 100 years.