A Gathering of Old Men Unit of Study
By Marshall Surratt

Overview

This unit of study on Ernest Gaines' A Gathering of Old Men fully integrates history into the literature curriculum. Lessons range from literary technique to classical study of literature to the history of slavery in Louisiana, where the story is set, and the role of the African-American Church, offering students insight into the lives of the enslaved of America's past.

National Curriculum Standards met by this lesson

For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.

Unit Menu

• Lesson One: Point of View in A Gathering of Old Men

Reading Assignment: Chapters 1-3

In A Gathering of Old Men, Gaines tells his story through 17 multiple first-person narrators. Students study this literary device, using the beginning of the text to facilitate their comprehension of the characters.

• Lesson Two: Relationships Between the Races

Reading Assignment: Through Chapter 10

This lesson examines the intricacies of relationships in A Gathering of Old Men. In the activities section, students will have a chance to examine closely the way characters deal with each other based on race, skin color, ethnic origin, and status in the household.

• Lesson Three: The Desire for Dignity and Recognition

The desire for dignity and recognition of self worth, in both young and old, men and women, is the central theme of A Gathering of Old Men. Students will analyze the development of these ideas in the characters of the story and compare this theme with works that have the same theme.

• Essay with Activity Suggestions: Church and Faith in A Gathering of Old Men

The church is a presence in the African-American community in Gaines' stories. Students will read a short essay that highlights the motif of church and faith in the story. Activity suggestions are included.

• Lesson Four: Gaines as a Writer

Ernest Gaines has resisted others' efforts to classify him as only a black writer writing literature of protest or as simply a southern writer. In this post-reading lesson, students will discuss Gaines as a writer and his place in the literature canon. Students also will compare Gaines' sense of tragedy with classical Greek tragedy.