Forbidden City

Reflect on Alex’s experiences over the course of the story. How does the novel explore personal freedom and heroism? Consider these points as you reflect on the text to answer the question.

• What personal freedoms are limited in the novel according to the student protesters?
• What is Lao Xu’s role in limiting personal freedoms?
• How does Alex experience infringement upon his own freedoms while he is in China?
• In what ways does Alex compare his experience in China to his experience in Canada?
• How does Alex define heroism, and how is it connected to personal freedoms?
• In what way does Alex change his mind about military history and heroism?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may find it illuminating to explore Alex’s comparisons of China and Canada before analyzing the motives of the protesters. It might also be beneficial for students to follow and document these topics alongside Alex’s character growth (as he explores his evolved definition of heroism) in the form of notes or in a simple chart before they attempt to address the prompt in discussion or in writing.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with executive function differences or those who find the scope of whole-text tasks challenging may benefit from narrowing their discussion topic to an exploration of Alex’s evolving definition of heroism throughout the novel.