Cloud Cuckoo Land

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 myths have you read or studied in school? How does a myth differ from an allegory, and what is the purpose of these story structures? Are all myths religious, or can some of them be secular? Why?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question relates to the theme of Saving Books and Information from Erasure. To introduce this theme, consider discussing the following resources together as a class. Students may benefit from reflecting on the characteristics of allegory and myth, as these elements appear in the novel.

• This page from Oregon State University discusses the definition of allegory and explores examples through a video and written transcript (Note: A Spanish translation of the transcript is available).
• This article from World History Encyclopedia explains the purpose of three different types of myths and discusses historical examples.

2. What is a utopia, and where does the concept come from? What are some examples of utopias in literature, film, or even videogames? How might the idea of the “end times” relate to this concept? Why do writers continue to explore the end times and utopias in their work?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from approaching this Short Answer prompt in groups, which may encourage collaboration and help students identify patterns in utopian works. Creating and sharing a list of appropriate examples as a class may help generate discussion. It may also be helpful to review how the concepts of utopia and eschatology relate to the novel; more information about these topics can be found in the resources below.

• This entry from Miami Dade College identifies the characteristics of utopian societies and includes several modern and classical literary examples.
• This 3-minute video discusses religious and personal eschatology and considers why it is important.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Consider a story that has positively impacted your life. What is the story about? Why does it still resonate with you? Why do you think it is a story that continues to be told?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may feel more comfortable responding to this Personal Connection Prompt if they know they will not have to share their writing aloud. They may still benefit from a discussion afterward in which they discuss their reflection response more abstractly. Students may benefit from revisiting this prompt after they develop a stronger understanding of the novel’s central protagonists’ reliance on Aethon’s story.