The House of the Spirits

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. What do the words “political ideology” mean to you? What are some political ideologies with which you are familiar? In the context of political ideology, what do the terms “left-wing” and “right-wing” mean?

Teaching Suggestion: This question connects to the theme of Politics and Ideology as Content and Context; it aims to gauge students’ familiarity with different kinds of ideologies and to prompt reflection on the term “political ideology” itself (e.g., what it encompasses). For the purposes of this novel, it may be helpful to think of ideology as a set of beliefs that translate into a particular social order. When discussing the different ideologies with which students may be familiar, it may be beneficial to remind students to avoid placing value judgments on a particular set of beliefs or discussing students’ personal affiliations. You can also ask students to consider whether those subscribing to the same political ideology might pursue different methodologies to accomplish their goals.

• Further nuance might be added to the discussion by examining whether one’s political beliefs are purely the function of one’s upbringing, using
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Don't Miss Out!

  Access Teaching Guide Now