Acceleration

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. The perspective or point of view of a novel, often called the “POV,” is a crucial literary device to developing tone and meaning in a narrative. Why is POV so important? How might an author deploy first-person, second-person, or third-person POV to enhance a novel’s overall themes? Do certain POVs lend themselves to specific genres?

Teaching Suggestion: For Acceleration, the first-person POV is important in two key ways. First, in a thriller novel, it allows the reader to witness the mystery unfold alongside the main character, Duncan. Second, the book’s theme of Guilt, Forgiveness, and Absolution involves Duncan grappling with his own emotions, and the first-person POV is well-suited to exploring deeply personal, intimate themes. 

• BookRiot’s “What is Point of View in Literature?” is a broad overview of each type of POV.
• MasterClass’s “What is First Person Point of View in Writing? How to Write in First Person Narrative Voice with Examples” focuses on first-person POV and the reasons why an author might choose it.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who might benefit from a more visual approach, consider showing this brief video called “First person vs. Second person vs. Third person—Rebekah Bergman” by TED-Ed. This video uses audiovisuals and animation to help explain the different POVs and can help solidify students’ understanding of how different perspectives can entirely transform a story.

2. Criminologists have noted a correlation among serial killers, where a significant number of them will have a documented history of abusing animals as a child. Have you heard about this connection before? If yes, which serial killers had this in their own history? In your discussion, explore why you think the connection between animal abuse and serial killing is so strong, and what it says about how one’s childhood experiences shape individuals as they become adults.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt will get students thinking about the theme of Acceleration and Imprisonment in the novel. As defined by the fictional text Duncan reads in Chapter 14, entitled Death: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer, the term “acceleration” is defined as a burgeoning serial killer’s “escalation of increasingly destructive aberrant behavior” (88). In this context, animal abuse is the first stage in a person’s “acceleration” toward becoming a serial killer.

• Discover Magazine’s “Are Kids Who Abuse Animals Destined to Become Serial Killers?” explores animal abuse in “the MacDonald Triad,” which is a framework used to identify murderers and those with violent tendencies.
• The Department of Justice’s “Animal Cruelty: A Serious Crime Leading to Horrific Outcomes” is the US government’s position paper documenting their findings on the subject.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Reflect upon a moment in life when you were given a second chance—another opportunity to right a wrong at school, to rebuild a friendship, or to correct a mistake in how you handled something. How did getting that second opportunity feel? Have you ever given someone else a second chance? 

Teaching Suggestion: One of the book’s core themes deals with Duncan getting a Second Chance, which is also related to Cycles of Poverty and Violence. In reflecting on their own experience with second chances, students will come to understand how Duncan’s second chance is deeply influential in changing his pessimistic worldview. When Duncan finally gets the opportunity to—in his perception—right a wrong in how he handled Maya’s death, he is reborn. He is finally able to free himself from the guilt and pain he’s carried around with him ever since Maya died.

• Psychology Today’s “The Art of Second Chances: On Forgiving, Forgetting and Letting Go” explores the psychological power of second chances.
• Inc.’s “21 Ways to Get a Second Chance” presumes that everyone will make a mistake at some point; this is a practical list on how to cultivate your second chances in your own life.