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 is an allusion? Why do authors make them in written text?

Teaching Suggestion: Bechdel makes a number of references to books and literature throughout Fun Home in order to characterize herself, her parents, and her relationships with them. Prepare students to analyze these allusions by parsing out their function in texts.

• This “Allusion” resource page defines the term and provides examples.
• “What Is an Allusion?” from Oregon State University explains the function of this literary device and offers two examples from classic works of American literature.

Short Activity

Split into two groups. One group will focus on the disadvantages of using a graphic novel to tell a story. The other will think about the advantages.

First, take three minutes to brainstorm a list of advantages or disadvantages (depending on your team). Additionally, decide who will represent your team at the board in the next step.

Once time is up, flip a coin to determine which team will go first. The first team will name an advantage or disadvantage, and their representative will write it on the board.