- What are our contemporary myths and metaphors about cancer?
- How do metaphors about specific diseases influence their treatments?
- In what ways—directly and implicitly—are people blamed for their illnesses?
- How do myths about cancer and other illnesses affect our global and political discourse?
- Why is metaphoric thinking about illness problematic?
- How can students help demythologize illnesses in their own lives or communities?
- Understand Sontag’s key arguments in Illness as Metaphor
- Consider the relationship between Sontag’s own experiences with cancer and her writings on illness
- Reflect on historical myths and metaphors of cancer and other serious illnesses
- Assess the impact of metaphors on our contemporary treatments of specific diseases and their patients
- Relate students’ own experiences of illness to Sontag’s key ideas
- Explore civic and political actions that challenge stigmas or fears about cancer and other illnesses
- Use writing and art creatively to express complex issues
1-4 Class Periods
VIDEOS:
Illness as Metaphor Video and Transcript
HANDOUTS:
Unit Background
Unit Research
Handout 1
Handout 2
WORKSHEETS:
Class Debate Worksheet
Essay Worksheet
Fine Arts/Creative Writing Worksheet
TEACHING PLANS:
Teach Handout 1
Teach Handout 2
Class Debate Activity
Essay Activity
Fine Arts/Creative Writing Activity
- Art and Culture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Philosophy
- History and Social Studies
Themes > Culture
Themes > History of Science and Technology
Themes > Modern World
Themes > War and Foreign Policy
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Biography
Genre > Drama
Genre > Essay
Genre > Fables, Fairytales and Folklore
Genre > Poetry
Genre > Short Stories
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Compare and contrast
- Creative writing
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Debate skills
- Discussion
- Evaluating arguments
- Expository writing
- Historical analysis
- Interpretation
- Journal writing
- Letter writing
- Literary analysis
- Logical reasoning
- Media analysis
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Oral communication
- Oral presentation skills
- Persuasive writing and speaking
- Painting
- Photography
- Poetry writing
- Representing ideas and information orally, graphically, and in writing
- Role-playing/Performance
- Summarizing
- Synthesis
- Textual analysis
- Visual art skills
- Visual presentation skills
- Writing skills
- ELA Reading: 1, 3-4, 7, 10
- ELA Writing: 1, 3-6, 10
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2, 4-6
- ELA Language: 4-6
- HSS Reading: 1-2, 4, 7-10
- HSS Writing: 1, 4-6, 10
This lesson uses Susan Sontag’s groundbreaking 1977 book, Illness as Metaphor, and its discussion in Regarding Susan Sontag as a springboard for thinking about illness, the culture of cancer, and the language and metaphors we use to talk about disease. Unlike many writers, Sontag did not write a memoir of her own experiences with cancer, choosing instead to write a philosophical essay about illness. After reading her key arguments, students will be asked to relate their own personal or family experiences with illness to Sontag’s ideas in a class debate, essay, or art project, reflecting on what has changed in the intervening decades, and what has not.
LESSON 1 HANDOUTS
LESSON 1 STUDENT ACTIVITY OPTIONS
- Watch Regarding Susan Sontag and reflect on its relevance to your students and subject area. For extracurricular organizations, community groups, and book clubs, consult our guide on adapting the curriculum.
- Review our curriculum units and lessons below, then choose the individual lesson(s) most aligned to your needs. See our interdisciplinary diagram for more help choosing an appropriate lesson and unit.
- Select the handout(s) and student activity you will use with each lesson.
- Begin the lesson by watching and discussing the lesson video module with Handout 1
- Continue the lesson with Handouts 2-4 to deepen learning (optional)
- Complete the lesson with a student activity: options include writing, presentation, and creative assignments as well as class projects or debates
- Download or print all related resources for your lesson at our resource center (video module, handouts, worksheets, teaching plans), and prepare for classroom use. Preview the lesson video module, familiarizing yourself with the content and any potential areas of sensitivity for your students (see viewing and discussing sensitive materials).
- Screen Regarding Susan Sontag and discuss with our Educational Screening Guide before beginning this lesson.
- Assign full texts or articles in place of handout excerpts.
- Assign supplementary texts or facilitate independent research with our Illness Unit Research handout, which includes:
- Online resources related to illness, cancer, and HIV/AIDS
- Reference texts on illness (unit citations and recommendations)
- Allow additional time for discussion, group work, peer-review, editing, revision, or student evaluations and critiques of finished work.
- Coordinate presentations of student activities outside the classroom, such as a class blog, podcast or online gallery posts, school newspaper\ or literary/art journal publications, student radio or video broadcasts, or all-school exhibits, panel discussions, and screenings.
- Teach this lesson with additional content from the curriculum guide. See our Interdisciplinary Diagram for help choosing related units and lessons.