This past week you have discussed three separate short stories: The Death of Ivan Ilych, The Guest, and Metamorphosis. While each of these stories had a lot of differences, they all had a similar underlying theme. You have an impact on everyone around you.

Netflix adapted the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and demonstrated the effect that we all have on one another.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a book about a teenage girl who faces betrayal and bullying and eventually commits suicide. She leaves each person a tape explaining how they all played a role in her suicide, how their actions impacted her, and in turn her death impacted them.

This topic can be taught to high schoolers by teaching them that their actions affect everyone around them. In The Guest, Daru decides not to decide in hopes of keeping the blood off his hands. As a result, the Arab is forced to choose between turning himself in or running away. In Metamorphosis, Gregor turns into a beetle, and as a result his family now has to figure out how they are going to come up with the money that he used to provide. By him staying in the house, he causes stress on the family for a number of reasons. And finally, The Death of Ivan Ilych. Ivan spent his life focusing on material things and not building meaningful relationships, so when his life was coming to an end he had no true friends and his family began to resent him.

Overall, what the students can take away from this reading is that they should be mindful of their actions and decisions.