Red Queen

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

What factors often determine social stratification? What is social mobility and how does it have an impact on individuals in society?

Teaching Suggestion: Mare lives in a society divided by the color of one’s blood. Silvers have evolved to possess special abilities that enable them to wield magic in some form while Reds are on a lower social tier because of their inability to use magic. After sharing their initial responses to this question, students might work in small groups to list and discuss factors that contributed to social hierarchies at different times in history and how social stratification led to specific historical conflicts.

• This 11-minute video defines social stratification and the ways in which societies establish a social hierarchy.  
• This article from Princeton University Press provides an alternative perspective on social hierarchy, touting the benefits to society.

Short Activity

Explore the elements of dystopian literature to create a list of characteristics that are typical of the genre; include strong examples of this genre with which you are familiar.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might create and utilize a 3-column chart with the headings “Elements of Dystopian Fiction,” “Pop Culture Examples,” “Red Queen.” This graphic organizer can be used to identify characteristics of the dystopian genre, pop culture examples, and the ways in which Red Queen exemplifies dystopian literature. Students might begin by exploring these or similar resources on dystopian literature to complete the first column. For the second column, students can reflect on popular media to determine examples of dystopian fiction they have encountered. The final column can be utilized for making predictions in the pre-reading stage, recording dystopian indicators as students become involved in the reading of the novel, and/or reflecting on ways in which this genre label is appropriate for Red Queen after reading.

• This 6-minute TED-Ed video describes the elements of dystopian fiction and the purpose dystopian literature serves in society. (Content Warning: This video draws a comparison to “real-world dystopias” during World Wars I and II and the Holocaust with associated imagery.)  
• This 4-minute video describes the difference between a utopian and a dystopian society.
• This resource page explores the definition of dystopia, explains its sub-genres, and offers examples.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Consider a time when you recognized injustices within society. What steps would you take to correct the mistakes societies often overlook? What systems within societies tend to uphold unjust practices and why?

Teaching Suggestion: Mare, a Red, is unexpectedly thrust into Silver society when she is discovered to have the same magical abilities as a Silver. Conforming to Silver life is difficult for Mare as she recognizes the injustices committed against her people. Small group discussion regarding injustices in society might be beneficial either before or after an opportunity to address the prompt individually; students can also explore together ways in which changes might be made to improve society.