Good Country People

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 are the characteristics of the Southern Gothic genre? What other writers besides Flannery O’Connor have written in this genre?

Teaching Suggestion: A basic understanding of the Southern Gothic genre will help students get the most from reading Flannery O’Connor’s story. You might begin by asking if students have read any prominent examples, such as William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, or even the podcast S-Town. Then, discuss what the stories have in common and how the setting of the American South shapes the characters and plots.

• “Southern Gothic Literature” is a comprehensive entry from the Oxford Research Encyclopedias. You may choose to have students read only the brief “Summary” section at the beginning of the article, which defines the genre and lists authors who are known for writing in it.
• “Why People Love Southern Gothic” from Smithsonian magazine explores how “from the 19th century to S-Town, it’s a compelling genre that’s as flawed as its most grotesque characters.”

2. How important are first impressions when meeting new people? In what ways do a person’s intelligence, physical features, religious/societal beliefs, or other qualities influence others’ perceptions of them?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might have varying experiences and triggers relating to discrimination based on religion and other belief systems. However, a large portion of this story relates to Christianity and its importance in a person’s first impressions and trust of another. Characters use religion as a defining characteristic, whether for gain or acceptance. You might initiate discussion on how we judge each other by these characteristics. How might race, background, religion, or educational standards make someone seem trustworthy from a particular perspective? The story’s author, Flannery O’Connor, had a religious background herself. She was later criticized for her thoughts about nonwhite people, often with religious undertones as justification. How might this impact her work and the characters she creates? These or similar resources might be useful in discussion.

• “Science Says People Decide These 12 Things Within Seconds of Meeting You” from Business Insider explains just how quickly first impressions are made. In this story, the initial impressions characters have on each other are very important.
• Published by Arizona State University, “ASU Study Looks at Why Religious People are Trusted More Than Non-Religious People” explains why religious people are oftentimes trusted more quickly than non-religious people. The characters in the story are very concerned with Christian beliefs and the appearance of being a good “country person.”

Personal Connection Prompt

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

Can you remember a time when you felt judged because of something you believed in? How did that feel? Were you ever able to find common understanding with the person who judged you? Write a journal-style composition recalling that time. You can write it in the form of dialogue if you wish.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might experience various kinds of judgment based on belief systems in today’s world. You may want to steer conversations away from shaming or negative talk about particular beliefs. Instead, you might encourage students to focus on how first impressions, while sometimes unfair or unkind, help people navigate encounters with people who are different from themselves. Even though characters in the story judge quickly, their thoughts impact readers’ understanding of the narrative and shape their predictions about where the story might be headed.

Differentiation Suggestion: Advanced learners might be challenged to turn their journaled interactions into examples of positive interactions with people from different backgrounds. Consider discussing the difference between dialogues and debates and then encouraging students to think of ways to revise their journal compositions with different outcomes.