The Individual and Society — Global Literature

MYP Unit Framework

Key Concept: IDENTITY Related Concepts: Character. Theme. Point of View. Global Context: Identities and Relationships (To what extent are we SHAPED by the societies we live in — and to what extent can we RESIST or TRANSFORM them?) Statement of Inquiry: Literature across cultures explores the TENSION between the individual's desire for autonomy and society's demand for conformity — revealing that IDENTITY is both INHERITED from our context and CREATED through our choices.

Inquiry Questions

1. The Individual vs. The System

Core Text — The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka, 1915)

Gregor Samsa wakes one morning to find he has TRANSFORMED into a GIANT INSECT. 'Kafka does not explain WHY. There is no magic. No science. It simply HAPPENS. And the story is not about the transformation — it is about what happens AFTER.'

Gregor's family — who DEPENDED on his income — are first HORRIFIED. Then DISGUSTED. Then RESENTFUL. Gregor, once the breadwinner, becomes a BURDEN — confined to his room, fed scraps, despised. He DIES — and his family feels RELIEF.

The Kafkaesque: 'A situation that is simultaneously ABSURD, BUREAUCRATIC, and NIGHTMARISH. The individual is trapped in a system they cannot understand or escape. The Metamorphosis is not about an insect — it is about: ALIENATION. The person who can no longer WORK becoming WORTHLESS to capitalism. The FAMILY as an economic unit rather than a site of unconditional love. The HORROR of being DEPENDENT. The IMPOSSIBILITY of true communication.'

The Question of Genre

'Is it a FANTASY? A HORROR story? A dark COMEDY? A philosophical ALLEGORY? Kafka's genius is that it is ALL of these — and refuses to settle into any ONE category. The absurdity IS the meaning.'

2. Gender, Power and Voice

Core Text — We Should All Be Feminists (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2014)

Adapted from Adichie's TEDx Talk (viewed over 8 million times). 'Adichie tells stories — from her childhood in Nigeria, from her experiences as a woman, from encounters with strangers — that reveal how GENDER shapes EVERY aspect of life: who speaks and who listens. Who is promoted and who is overlooked. Who is taught to be STRONG and who is taught to be NICE. Who is seen as a FULL HUMAN BEING — and who is seen as an ACCESSORY to someone else's life.'

Key Arguments

• 'We teach girls to shrink themselves — to make themselves smaller.' 'We say to girls: You can have ambition, but not too much.'
• Feminism is not about HATING MEN. It is about: 'The social, political, and economic EQUALITY of the sexes.'
• GENDER is not just about women. 'We do a great disservice to boys in how we raise them. We stifle the humanity of boys. We define masculinity in a very narrow way... We teach boys to be afraid of fear, of weakness, of vulnerability.'

Rhetorical Analysis

'Adichie's essay is a masterclass in PERSUASIVE WRITING. She uses: Personal ANECDOTE (intimate, relatable). HUMOUR (disarming, engaging). STATISTICS (credibility). Direct ADDRESS ("Dear Ijeawele..."). Call to ACTION. How does she build her argument? How does she anticipate and address COUNTERARGUMENTS?'

3. Comparative Analysis — Individual Agency Across Texts

'These two texts represent OPPOSITE responses to the same question: Can the individual resist society? Kafka says NO. Adichie says: We MUST — and we CAN.'

4. Critical Lenses — Reading With Theory

Feminist Criticism

Asks: How does this text represent WOMEN? Whose VOICE is heard — and whose is SILENCED? What assumptions about GENDER does the text make — or challenge?

Marxist Criticism

Asks: Who has ECONOMIC POWER? How does CLASS shape the characters' lives? Does the text REINFORCE or CHALLENGE the existing economic order?

Postcolonial Criticism

Asks: How does this text represent the COLONISED and the COLONISER? Whose CULTURE is presented as 'normal' — and whose as 'other'? Does the text CHALLENGE colonial narratives — or PERPETUATE them?

'In this unit, you apply ONE critical lens to a text of your choice. The lens is a TOOL — it reveals things you might otherwise MISS.'

5. The Personal Project Connection

'This MYP unit directly connects to the PERSONAL PROJECT — your independent, self-directed inquiry into a topic of YOUR choice. What question about the tension between INDIVIDUAL and SOCIETY will YOU explore? What TEXTS will you use? What CRITICAL LENS will you apply? The skills you develop here — textual analysis, critical thinking, argumentation — are the skills you need to succeed in the Personal Project and beyond.'

Your Summative Assessment

Task: 'The Critical Essay' Choose ONE text (from this unit or beyond). Apply ONE critical lens. Write an essay (1200-1500 words) analysing how the text represents the relationship between the INDIVIDUAL and SOCIETY. Your essay must include: A clear THESIS. Close TEXTUAL ANALYSIS. Engagement with at least ONE SECONDARY SOURCE. A conclusion that addresses the DEBATABLE QUESTION from this unit.

ATL Skills