The Possibility of Evil

These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the short story.

Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”

How would you feel if an anonymous user on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook started posting messages to you accusing you of odd behavior, or trying to convince you that other people in your life were trying to hurt you? What would you do about this? What are the pros and cons of using social media, given the stress of these anonymous yet personal messages? Is there something in our human nature that pushes us to anonymously send offensive messages to other people?

Teaching Suggestion: What Miss Strangeworth does in this story is the 1960s version of “trolling.” Students should be very familiar with the term “trolling,” and their digital literacy skills will be useful in engaging them in a discussion about Miss Strangeworth’s behavior and impact. This also means that, even though decades have passed and technology has evolved, the motivations that drove Miss Strangeworth to send damaging, anonymous messages still exist in our contemporary world.

• "The Psychology of Trolling" – a psychological explanation for why trolling exists and the effect it has on others

Post-Reading Analysis

What is ironic about Miss Strangeworth’s letter-writing campaign? Why might the author use irony instead of explicitly portraying Miss Strangeworth’s hypocrisy?