Recitatif

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. Orphanages are still a popular institution for homing and placing children in many countries around the world, but in the United States orphanages were abolished in the 1960s. What do you know about the purposes and conditions commonly associated with an orphanage? What, if anything, do you know about the American foster care system?

Teaching Suggestion: The American foster care system has largely replaced orphanages. Research from decades ago theorized that children would be more nurtured in foster homes instead of orphanages. Indeed, orphanages are difficult and expensive to manage and foster homes would place responsibility on families or individuals, thus allocating better resources. However, the foster care system in America is not without its issues. It’s important for students to think about orphanages and their contemporary manifestation because this story’s initial setting has life-long repercussions for the main characters. It should also be noted that, depending on the life experiences of students in the classroom, this question and the links below should be explored within different layers. Students who have first-hand experience with the foster care system may feel differently than students who grew up outside of the system, so differentiation with this sensitive topic is key.