📝 This is a lesson blueprint — the plan to build into a full interactive lesson. Adjust and add to it freely.
The Text
Markheim
Robert Louis Stevenson · 1885
After murdering a shopkeeper on Christmas Day, Markheim is visited by a mysterious stranger who seems to know his soul. The story explores guilt, temptation, conscience, and the possibility of moral redemption.
Activity Ideas
Stranger confronts a criminal - the Devil as a guide in the adventure (also a motif).
A mirror — exploring how a symbol can be used.
Shopping for symbols.
Abstract nouns game by candlelight.
Building a dark story around the symbol.
Motif — Beethoven.
Positive symbols — choosing the right path.
Key Terms
Figurative language
Language that is not purely literal, such as metaphor, simile, personification, and symbolism.
Theme
A central idea or concern in a text.
Symbolism
Using an object, place, character, or image to represent a deeper idea.