NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this bell ringer activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
How lost are we without our devices? Or putting it more simply, as novelist Colum McCann might: just how isolated are we? His new novel "Twist" asks big questions through a story of characters literally at sea. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown has this profile of the book and its writer for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who is Colum McCann, and what is his background?
- What story inspired McCann's book?
- Why is "repair" the theme of our times, according to McCann?
- Where is McCann's novel "Twist set?
- How does "Twist" take on themes of loneliness and isolation? What imagery and stories does it use?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What have you noticed about the ways people socialize differently online and in-person? What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages of online communication?
Media literacy: At the end of this segment, McCann puts forward the idea that sharing stories can help repair a divided world. Do you think storytelling has the power to help people work across differences? Why do you think it has that effect, if so?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
In this segment, Colum McCann describes his interest in writing stories that help repair the damage done by loneliness and isolation. As a class, think of projects you can do that address some of the same themes using the media of your choice — fiction, poetry, essay, music, photography, painting or any other kind of expression are all valid.
For more inspiration, you can check out News Hour's Art in Action series on artistic expression that makes a difference, including the segment below.
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