Objectives

• Analyse how Faulkner's non-chronological structure in the five sections creates suspense and controls the reader's sympathy for Emily Grierson.
• Identify and interpret the communal 'we' narrator's bias, selecting specific moments in Sections I–III where the town's judgement shapes the reader's view.
• Write an evidenced paragraph explaining how Faulkner uses Gothic imagery — specifically the smell, the lime, and the locked room — to link death, decay, and the Southern past.
• Analyse how gender and social class constrain Emily Grierson, using the Homer Barron courtship scenes in Sections III–IV as primary evidence.
• Evaluate the function of dramatic irony in the arsenic purchase scene (Section IV) and the final revelation (Section V), explaining what the reader understands that the narrator does not.
• Construct a sustained, well-evidenced argument about one of the story's central themes — illusion, the past, or power — using close reading of language and form across at least two sections.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Town Remembers: Narrative Structure and the Communal Narrator

   55 min · ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

   Do now

   • Emily's death
   • The discovery of the corpse in a bed
   • Key events leading to Emily's death
   • Any significant interactions with other characters
   • Important moments from Emily's life
   • The aftermath of her death and its impact on the community

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the opening paragraph of Section I ('When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral…') by identifying the communal narrator. Consider who 'we' refers to. What does 'our whole town' imply about the shared ownership of Emily's story? Examine how the term 'fallen monument' (Section I) frames Emily as an object — a relic — rather than a living person, and explore what this indicates about whose perspective we are accessing. Focus your analysis solely on this paragraph.

   Independent task

   Students receive a printed timeline grid featuring five blank columns titled Section I–V, along with an additional column marked 'Chronological Order.' They complete the grid by revisiting the opening of each section (only the first paragraph of each) and then craft a paragraph of 80–100 words discussing why Faulkner decided to start with Emily's death instead of focusing on her father's control during her youth. The paragraph should include the phrase 'the narrator' at least once and cite one piece of evidence from Section I.

   Exit ticket

   On a sticky note, students jot down one sentence that completes this prompt: 'The communal narrator in Section I makes the reader feel ______ about Emily because Faulkner uses the word/phrase ______, which implies ______.'

2. Lesson 2: Lime and Rot: Gothic Imagery and the Body of the South

   55 min · ch. 2, 3

   Do now

   The following two phrases are on the board — both from Section II: 'a foul odor' and 'as if it were the natural thing to do.' Write two sentences for each phrase: one that explains what it literally describes, and another that suggests what it might symbolize. You have five minutes and must write in complete sentences.

   Teacher input

   Model the single move of tracking a Gothic image across a passage. Read aloud Section II from 'A short time after her sweetheart — the one we believed would marry her — had deserted her' to the end of the aldermen's night visit. Annotate on the visualiser: the smell representing concealed death; the four men creeping in darkness symbolizing a town that surveils Emily instead of facing her; the lime as a desperate effort to hide what cannot be hidden. Show students how to connect the image to the story's theme of the past refusing to stay buried.

   Independent task

   Students will write a PEEL paragraph (120–150 words) in response to the question: 'How does Faulkner use the smell and the lime in Section II to convey that the past cannot be hidden?' They need to include at least two quotations from Section II, analyze the connotations of one particular word, and conclude their paragraph with a sentence linking the imagery to the broader theme of death and illusion in the story. Paragraphs will be collected at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   Students write their answers on a half-sheet, responding to the question: "Identify one Gothic convention that Faulkner employs in Section II and describe in one sentence how it relates to the theme of death."

3. Lesson 3: Homer Barron and the Scandal of Desire: Gender and Power in Sections III–IV

   55 min · ch. 3, 4

   Do now

   The speaker is likely a member of the community discussing Emily's situation. The shift in the three statements reflects a change in the town's attitude: first, there's hope for her marriage, then a belief in her ability to influence him, but finally, a sense of pity. The use of the word "Poor" suggests that Jefferson views Emily with sympathy, seeing her as someone deserving of compassion rather than judgment.

   Teacher input

   Analyze how free indirect discourse and collective voice portray Emily as a passive object of the town's scrutiny. Focus on the passage in Section III that begins with, "The ladies all said, 'Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer,'" and ends with, "she carried her head high enough."

   In your analysis, note the class snobbery reflected in the term "day laborer." Highlight the contradiction present in the town's disdain for Homer while simultaneously expecting Emily to marry him. Consider the phrase "carried her head high enough," which can be interpreted as both admiration and a form of surveillance. Examine how the intersection of gender and class works to confine Emily's identity and choices.

   Independent task

   Students receive an excerpt from Section IV, starting with 'Then some of the ladies began to say that it was a disgrace to the town' and ending with 'we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated.' They will annotate this passage independently, pinpointing at least three instances where the narrator's language reflects the town's views on Emily's gender or social class. Afterward, they will compose a 100–120 word analytical paragraph addressing the question: 'How does Faulkner use the communal narrator in Section IV to illustrate that Emily is governed by the expectations of Jefferson just as much as by her father?' Both the annotations and the paragraph will be submitted.

   Exit ticket

   Students should respond in two sentences: "In Section III or IV, provide an example of the town viewing Emily as a symbol instead of a person, and discuss what this indicates about the theme of gender and power in Jefferson."

4. Lesson 4: The Arsenic Scene: Dramatic Irony and What the Reader Knows

   50 min · ch. 4

   Do now

   On the board: 'Read the arsenic purchase scene from Section IV — starting at "So the next day we all said, 'She will kill herself'" and ending at "That was over a year after they had begun to say 'Poor Emily,' and while the two female cousins were visiting her."' Underline every detail the narrator provides without any commentary, then circle anything that, looking back now, feels sinister. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model the single move of explaining dramatic irony as a structural device. Using the druggist scene in Section IV — from '"I want some poison," she said' to '"Arsenic," Miss Emily said. "Is that a good one?"' — let’s think through what the reader suspects compared to what the narrator tells us. Take note of Emily's decision not to explain herself, the druggist's eventual concession, and the package marked 'For rats.' This illustrates how Faulkner places the clue in plain sight, while the narrator's inability to see it highlights the town's deliberate ignorance of Emily's plight.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a 120–150 word analytical paragraph in response to the prompt: "Faulkner uses the arsenic purchase in Section IV to create dramatic irony that implicates the reader in the town's willful blindness. How far do you agree?" In their analysis, they should reference the druggist's dialogue, the label 'For rats,' and at least one earlier moment from Sections I–III that foreshadows Emily's act. The paragraph must feature a clear topic sentence, an embedded quotation, and a closing evaluative sentence. These paragraphs will be graded according to the lesson's rubric prior to Lesson 5.

   Exit ticket

   On an index card, students fill in the blanks to complete this sentence in three lines or less: 'The dramatic irony of the arsenic scene works because the reader already knows ______, so when Emily says ______, we understand ______ even though the narrator does not.'

5. Lesson 5: The Locked Room: Synthesis, the Revelation, and What the Rose Means

   55 min · ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

   Do now

   On the board: 'The story is titled "A Rose for Emily," yet there's no rose mentioned in the text. In three sentences, discuss what the rose could symbolize — think about who might be giving it, who it's for, and why Faulkner would select a flower that represents both love and death. Use examples from the story to back up your thoughts.'

   Teacher input

   Sure! Here’s the humanized version of your text:

   Model the act of crafting a synthesis sentence that connects form, language, and theme. Read aloud the last two paragraphs of Section V — starting from 'The man himself lay in the bed' to the final line about the 'long strand of iron-gray hair.' On the visualiser, annotate 'iron-gray' as a color that merges Emily's living presence with Homer's lifeless one; the pillow's 'profound and fleshless grin' as a Gothic image that intertwines love and death; the order of the revelation — describing Homer's decay first and Emily's hair last — as Faulkner's ultimate act of withholding. Demonstrate how to formulate one sentence that identifies the technique, quotes the specific word, and connects it to the theme of illusion.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with crafting a comprehensive analytical response of 200–250 words to the following prompt: "In the final section of 'A Rose for Emily,' Faulkner uses the locked room and its contents to weave together the story's themes of illusion, death, and the destructive power of the past. Analyze how he achieves this, providing close reference to the language in Section V and at least one other section." The response should present a clear argument in the opening sentence, incorporate at least three embedded quotations, analyze specific word choices, and conclude with a sentence that reflects on the term 'destructive.' This assignment will be collected and returned with written feedback prior to the summative assessment.

   Exit ticket

   Students write one sentence on a slip of paper: 'The strand of iron-gray hair in the final line of Section V represents Faulkner's most powerful image of ______ because ______' — filling in the blanks with a theme word and a reason supported by the text.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can identify the communal narrator and link a specific word from Section I to its effect on the reader's sympathy.
• Lesson 2 PEEL paragraph: checks whether students can embed quotation, analyse connotation, and connect a Gothic image to a named theme — collected and scanned before Lesson 3.
• Lesson 3 annotation and paragraph: checks whether students can identify the intersection of gender and class in the narrator's language across Sections III–IV, and whether their analytical paragraph has a clear point.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket index card: checks whether students can articulate the mechanism of dramatic irony — what the reader knows, what the narrator withholds, and what that gap produces — in relation to the arsenic scene specifically.
• Lesson 5 extended response: checks whether students can synthesise close reading of language, form, and theme across multiple sections in a structured, evidenced argument of 200–250 words.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama, including where a story is set, how the action is ordered, and how the characters are introduced and developed.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, irony, understatement).

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and use evidence from the text to support and develop that claim.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including connotation and the effect of diction on tone and meaning.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure and the effect of an author's structural choices, including non-linear narrative, on the overall meaning of a literary work.
• Narrator and Point of View (NAR-1) — Explain the function of a narrator, including the reliability of the narrative voice and its effect on the reader's interpretation of character and event.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, maintaining a critical style and developing an informed personal response, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received, including the post-Reconstruction South and the Southern Gothic tradition.
• AO4 — Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to Faulkner's use of non-linear structure and Gothic imagery.
• AO5 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including gender politics and Southern identity in 1930s America.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the text, including its narrative structure, characterisation, and use of literary convention.
• Criterion B — Analyse the ways in which the author's choices of language, structure, technique, and style shape meaning and effect.
• Criterion C — Develop a focused and convincing line of argument supported by well-chosen textual evidence.