Memory and Cultural Heritage in Everything Sad Is Untrue

About This Lesson

Through guided close reading and annotation, students closely analyze a selected passage from Everything Sad Is Untrue to explore themes of identity, religion, memory, and the refugee experience. By reflecting and participating in discussion, students will practice and apply their literary analysis skills to consider the complexities of cultural identity and how memory shapes both personal and communal narratives.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean for something to be “true”? 
• In storytelling, who decides what is true? And why does it matter?
• How can the stories we tell connect us to or separate us from ourselves and others?

Facing History Learning Outcomes

• Critically and ethically analyze thematic development and literary craft in order to draw connections between the text and their lives.

Lesson Plan

Activity 1: Introduce the Passage and Context

Begin by revisiting the essential questions with the class. 

Provide a brief overview of the context leading up to the passage, explaining how Daniel shifts from humorous anecdotes and a history lesson to deeper cultural reflections on identity, memory, and cultural heritage.

Activity 2: Engage in Close Reading and Annotation

Distribute the Student Handout: Close-Reading Lesson 3 and direct students to the relevant passage: pp. 182–185, from “Nowadays the Muslims” to “Anyway, here’s another poop story.” Ask students to read the passage silently, encouraging them to use the annotation guide and to underline or highlight phrases that stand out to them, particularly those related to identity, memory, and the significance of cultural heritage.

Activity 3: Participate in Small-Group Discussions

Divide the class into small groups and provide them with the following discussion questions:

1. What is your “golden line” from this passage? Share one or two sentences that resonate with you and explain why.
2. What might Daniel mean when he suggests that “a patchwork memory is the shame of a refugee”? Use evidence from this passage to explain your thinking.
3. What does the passage suggest about the role of family lineage—the role of “who begat you” and “whose you are” (p. 183)—in understanding one’s sense of self? Do you agree or disagree with Daniel’s assertion? Explain your thinking.
4. How does Daniel’s explanation of the Sunni–Shiite divide help you understand the consequences that follow his mother’s religious conversion?
5. How does Daniel contrast his own experiences with those of the kids in Oklahoma? In what ways are his assumptions about his classmates understandable? In what ways might they be problematic? 
6. Consider the essential question, “How can the stories we tell connect us to or separate us from ourselves and others?”
   • In what ways do the stories and memories discussed in the passage connect Daniel to or separate him from his peers?
   • How might the stories and memories discussed in the passage connect him to or separate him from his family lineage and cultural heritage? 
   • To what extent might these stories and memories connect Daniel to or separate him from who he is or who he wants to be? 
7. How does this passage reflect or contrast with your life and experiences? In what ways do you see your personal beliefs and background influencing your interpretation of Daniel’s stories?
8. What questions or thoughts about cultural heritage and identity does this passage raise for you?

After the discussion, ask each group to share their insights with the class.

Activity 4: Write a Personal Reflection

Have students individually reflect on the following prompt in their journals:

How might your memories and past experiences shape your understanding of who you are? What would it mean to you if these memories were fragmented or lost? If you would like, you can also consider memories passed down to you from others in your life.

Challenge students to consider how their reflection connects to the passage they analyzed or the book as a whole.

Activity 5: Debrief in a Whole-Class Discussion

Bring the class back together to discuss the following prompt: 

• How do Daniel’s reflections on memory and identity offer a window into the challenges of preserving cultural heritage? How do displacement and the pressures of assimilation amplify these challenges?