Engaging Today's High School Students with "The Dead"

Joyce studies are typically relegated to university classrooms of graduate work because of their reputation for being too complex or esoteric for average readers. It is a reputation—sometimes deserved, but most often not—that has frustrated Joyce scholars for decades. As a high school English teacher in Florida, I noticed the immense potential of Joyce's works for a secondary classroom. Joyce's acclaimed short story, "The Dead," is the perfect introduction to the author and his many writings. Perspectives can range from Marxist to psychoanalytic; topics can run the gamut from sociology and politics to economics and religion; and literary elements can span from alliteration and symbolism to hyperbole and dichotomy. The Joyce unit I created for my 16-year-old students lasts a quarter of the school year, and while it culminates in a Ulysses Reading Group, having traversed through A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, its genesis is in "The Dead." The best part is that the students love it. Through this essay—and my accompanying online hub for teaching Joyce, <TeachingJoyce.com>—I hope to inspire other secondary and post-secondary teachers to engage with Joyce's works in the classroom for they will add great value and enrichment to the educational experience.