Objectives

• Analyse how Coates uses the epistolary form — a letter to his teenage son Samori — to position the reader and construct his argument about race in America.
• Identify and explain how the extended metaphor of 'the body' operates across all three parts of the text, linking it to Coates's central claim about Black vulnerability.
• Evaluate how Coates constructs 'the Dream' as an ideological force that depends on the destruction of Black bodies, using evidence from Parts I and II.
• Analyse how Coates uses the death of Prince Jones in Part II and Dr. Jones's testimony in Part III to move from personal grief to structural critique.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical essay that argues a clear interpretation of the text, selecting and embedding quotations precisely and commenting on language and form.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Letter as Argument: Voice, Form, and the Opening Address

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the first two paragraphs of Part I (starting with 'Son, last Sunday the host of a popular news show asked me…'). Without researching anything, write two sentences: identify the speaker, the listener, and the specific fear mentioned in those paragraphs. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model close reading on the passage in Part I where Coates speaks directly to Samori: 'I write you in your fifteenth year… I am writing you because this was the year you saw Eric Garner choked to death.' Explore how the use of 'you' fosters a sense of closeness with Samori while also drawing the reader in as a witness. Discuss how the present tense ('this was the year') collapses the distance between past and present, making the violence feel immediate. Annotate on the visualiser: form (letter), tense (past-into-present), pronoun shift, and the significance of naming Eric Garner specifically instead of referring to him as 'a man'.

   Independent task

   Students should re-read the first four pages of Part I, from 'Son, last Sunday…' to '…the question is the machinery of race.' After that, they will compose one fully developed analytical paragraph (at least 150 words) explaining how Coates uses the epistolary form and the direct address to Samori to argue that fear is not a sign of personal weakness but rather a structural condition that Black Americans face. The paragraph must include at least two quotations, analyze specific language choices, and conclude with a sentence that connects the form to its meaning. Students should write in their exercise books and underline the quotations they embed.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain the difference between Coates writing this as a letter rather than as an essay or memoir — what does the letter form allow him to do that those other forms would not?

2. Lesson 2: The Mecca: Howard University, Ms. Ross, and the Construction of Black Identity

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Look at the passage in Part I where Coates describes his arrival at Howard University, which he refers to as 'the Mecca.' Write down three things he mentions discovering there that weren't present in the streets of Baltimore. Use the text — no guessing. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model how Coates employs the figure of Ms. Ross and her seminar in Part I — starting with the passage 'I remember sitting in her class and wondering at the great energy all around me…' — to illustrate the moment his intellectual identity takes shape. Guide students in recognizing how Coates frames this as a counter-narrative: the Mecca juxtaposes the street, while Ms. Ross's questions ('But she was also teaching me to see…') contrast with the silence of his Baltimore education. Highlight the syntax of her questions — particularly their open-ended nature — and discuss how Coates utilizes free indirect discourse to merge his past self's sense of wonder with his present self's insights.

   Independent task

   Students read the Howard University section of Part I from "I arrived at Howard University…" to "…the black people I met there were not like any I had ever known." They will then write a structured comparison consisting of at least 200 words, divided into two paragraphs, that contrasts how Coates portrays Baltimore and Howard as different expressions of Black identity. The first paragraph should focus on Baltimore and include at least one quotation; the second paragraph should focus on Howard and Ms. Ross, also incorporating at least one quotation. Each paragraph must contain a sentence explaining how this contrast supports Coates's argument that identity is constructed rather than inherent. Students should label their paragraphs "Baltimore" and "Howard" in the margin.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Coates calls Howard University 'the Mecca' — what does that specific word choice suggest about what the university meant to him and to the argument he is making?

3. Lesson 3: The Body and the Dream: Coates's Central Metaphor in Part II

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Without opening the book, jot down as many phrases as you can recall from Parts I and II that include the word 'body.' You have three minutes. After that, next to each phrase, note one word that captures the emotion or idea it conveys. Share your list with the person next to you and compare.

   Teacher input

   Model the extended metaphor of the body in the passage from Part II where Coates writes: 'But all our phrasing — race relations, racial chasm, racial justice, racial profiling, white privilege, white supremacy — serves to obscure that racism is a visceral experience, that it dislodges brains, blocks airways, rips muscle, extracts organs, cracks bones, breaks teeth.' Project this sentence. Show students how the list of violent verbs ('dislodges,' 'blocks,' 'rips,' 'extracts,' 'cracks,' 'breaks') escalates in severity and transitions from internal to external damage, mirroring the very violence it describes. Then connect this to the opening claim in Part I that 'the body' is the site of Black vulnerability, illustrating how the metaphor is structural rather than decorative.

   Independent task

   Students read the section of Part II from 'But all our phrasing…' to '…the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.' They will write an analytical response of at least 200 words discussing how Coates uses the extended metaphor of the body to emphasize that racism is not just an idea but a physical and systemic issue. Students need to: (1) choose three quotations that illustrate the development of the metaphor throughout the passage; (2) analyze at least one specific verb or noun in each quotation; (3) conclude with a sentence that connects the body metaphor to Coates's critique of 'the Dream.' Responses should be written on a provided annotation sheet that includes three labeled quotation boxes and a 'So what?' section at the bottom.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain what Coates means when he says the Dream 'rests on our backs' — who are 'we,' who are the Dreamers, and what is the relationship between them according to this passage?

4. Lesson 4: Prince Jones: Grief, Witness, and the Move from Personal to Political

   60 min · ch. 2, 3

   Do now

   Read the paragraph in Part II that begins with "Prince was a Howard man…" and the paragraph in Part III where Dr. Jones talks about her son's death. Write two sentences: one illustrating how Coates portrays Prince Jones during his life, and another detailing how Dr. Jones recounts the moment she found out he had died. Use a word from each passage.

   Teacher input

   Model how Coates structures the Prince Jones narrative across Parts II and III as a shift from elegy to indictment. Pay special attention to the moment in Part III when Dr. Jones states: 'I told him, I said, 'You are going to make me old before my time'… And I told him that. I told him.' Highlight how the repetition of 'I told him' underscores the painful irony of a mother’s warning that tragically came true, and how Coates sets this testimony against the line 'She was not wailing.' Annotate: the role of reported speech, the implications of what remains unsaid (the absence of wailing), and how Coates’s choice to hold back in conveying her grief prompts the reader to fill in the emotional gaps.

   Independent task

   Students will read the section about Prince Jones in Part II of 'The bullet that killed Prince Jones…' from the beginning up to '…the plunder of our bodies,' as well as the Dr. Jones section in Part III from 'I asked her about Prince…' to '…she was not wailing.' They will then write an analytical essay response of at least 250 words that argues how Coates shifts from expressing personal grief over Prince Jones's death to offering a structural critique of American policing and the Dream through Dr. Jones's testimony. The essay must include at least four quotations from both chapters, analyze Coates's narrative choices—including what he includes and what he leaves out, as well as how he presents Dr. Jones's voice—and conclude with a sentence that ties Prince Jones's death to the text's main argument about the Black body.

   Exit ticket

   Write one full sentence explaining why Coates chooses to give Dr. Jones's words in direct speech rather than summarising what she said — what does that formal choice do to the reader's relationship with her grief?

5. Lesson 5: Summative Essay: Arguing an Interpretation Across the Whole Text

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Reflect on your exit tickets from lessons one to four. Select the one sentence you wrote that you believe most accurately reflects Coates' argument. Rewrite it at the top of a new page, then add one sentence explaining what you would need to demonstrate in order to develop that observation into a complete essay argument.

   Teacher input

   Here's a humanized version of your text:

   ---

   Demonstrate how to craft an essay introduction addressing the question, "How does Coates use the figure of Samori to shape his argument in Between the World and Me?" by examining the opening of Part I, which begins with "Son, last Sunday…," and the closing of Part III, where Coates states, "I do not want you to be me…". Guide students to create a compelling introduction that identifies the form (a letter), the relationship (father to son), the central argument (the body is under threat), and the method (using an epistolary address as a political act) in three to four sentences, without summarizing the plot. On the board, annotate a model introduction by labeling the components: claim, method, evidence, and significance. Discuss how the conclusion of Part III reframes the entire text as both an expression of love and a profound act of political despair.

   ---

   Summary of Changes:

   • Adjusted sentence structures for a more natural flow.
   • Replaced some formal phrases with simpler language.
   • Maintained the original meaning and key points.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a full analytical essay of 500–700 words in response to the question: 'How does Coates use the relationship between himself and Samori to argue that the Black body is under constant and systemic threat in America?' The essay should be organized into four to five paragraphs: an introduction that outlines the form and argument; a paragraph discussing the epistolary voice and the opening address in Part I; a paragraph analyzing the body metaphor and the Dream from Part II; a paragraph focused on Prince Jones and/or Dr. Jones from Parts II–III; and a conclusion that reflects on the final pages of Part III, where Coates states, 'I do not want you to be me… I want you to have your own life.' Students must include at least six quotations from a minimum of two of the three parts, underlining each quotation. Finally, the essay should conclude with a sentence that encapsulates what the text as a whole argues about freedom. This essay will be written under timed conditions in exercise books and will be collected for summative marking.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your introduction. Write one sentence identifying the strongest analytical claim it makes — then write one sentence identifying what it still needs in order to be fully convincing, and what evidence from the text would supply that.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can articulate the functional difference between the letter form and other prose forms — looking for understanding of the second-person address as a rhetorical and political choice, not just a stylistic one.
• Lesson 2 independent paragraph: checks whether students can sustain a comparison using embedded quotation and link textual evidence to Coates's argument about identity — looking for the word 'constructed' or an equivalent concept.
• Lesson 3 annotation sheet: checks whether students can identify the body metaphor as structural rather than decorative and comment on specific verbs — looking for three distinct quotations and verb-level commentary rather than paraphrase.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket: checks whether students understand the rhetorical function of direct speech and narrative restraint — looking for a sentence that names what Coates withholds and explains why that withholding is meaningful.
• Lesson 5 introduction review (exit ticket): checks whether students can self-assess the strength of their own analytical claim and identify the evidence needed to support it — looking for a specific quotation named, not a vague gesture toward 'more evidence.'

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.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• 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 point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1): Write a thesis that interprets a literary text and requires a line of reasoning to defend.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1): Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including extended metaphor.
• Narration (NAR-1): Explain the function of point of view, including the effect of first-person and second-person address on the reader's relationship to the narrator.
• Structure (STR-1): Explain how the sequence and juxtaposition of parts of a text — here the three-part letter structure — contribute to the text's meaning.
• Character (CHR-1): Explain how Coates's characterisation of Prince Jones, Dr. Jones, and Samori contributes to the text's argument.

AQA

• 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, including Coates's use of the extended body metaphor, epistolary form, and direct address.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including the context of anti-Black racism and police violence in twenty-first-century America.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations, including competing readings of 'the Dream' as aspiration versus ideology.

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 texts, focusing on Coates's language choices, structural decisions, and use of form.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts are written and received.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, for example connecting Coates's use of the letter form to other epistolary traditions or to Baldwin's 'The Fire Next Time.'

IB Lit

• Readers, writers and texts — Explore how Coates's use of the epistolary form, the second-person address, and the body metaphor position the reader and construct meaning.
• Time and space — Analyse how Coates moves between personal memory (Baltimore, Howard University) and the present moment of writing to argue that racial violence is both historical and ongoing.
• Intertextuality — Consider how Coates's text responds to and revises earlier African-American literary and political traditions, including the work of James Baldwin.