Aura

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

DEBATE: “Is Aura a Story of True Love or Infatuation?”

In this activity, students will argue either for or against the assertion that Felipe truly loves Aura.

Using the text as evidence of validity, you will argue either for or against the following assertion: Felipe is not infatuated with Aura; he truly loves her. Working with your group, develop an argument, including opening and closing statements as well as rebuttals, that supports your point of view. Rehearse your points aloud with your group prior to the in-class debate.

Participate in a post-debate class discussion in which you analyze and reflect on each team’s argumentative approaches.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity invites students to apply their analytical and debate skills while thinking critically about the content of the story and the themes of Identity, Doubling, and Colonialism; Memory and History; and Time. Students may base their assertions in quotations and events in the text; outside resources and their own research may help support points as well.

• This teacher-facing resource from Harvard University provides guidance on facilitating in-class debates.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach that involves written expression, this Activity may be amended to an argumentative essay, in which students must answer the following prompt: Does Felipe truly love Aura? Or is he simply infatuated with her? Use direct quotations from the text to substantiate your response.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Fuentes’s novella presents characters as doubles of one another.

• How does this doubling connect to the setting of colonialism? (topic sentence)
• Select one of the “doubled” characters and analyze their relationship to the idea of colonialism. Incorporate details from the novel and its allusions to colonialism from a variety of locations in the text.
• In your concluding sentences, explain the extent to which magical realism is an effective tool in conveying the theme Identity, Doubling, and Colonialism.

2. The novella explores themes related to history, memory, and identity.

• With which character are these themes most evident in their development and character arc? (topic sentence)
• Summarize how this character develops over the course of the novella in connection to these theme ideas. Analyze and discuss at least 3 events or occurrences that support your argument in your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentences, evaluate this character’s role in impacting the identity, memory, or history of at least one other character.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. What gender dynamics are presented and explored in the story? For example, how does gender shape Aura’s, Felipe’s, and Señora Llorente’s desires? In particular, how is gender connected with the desire to be youthful? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze and discuss the role of gender dynamics in the novella; explain the impact of these dynamics on mood, tone, or atmosphere.

2. Consider the motif of eyes and eyesight in the story. What might eyes and eyesight symbolize? How does sight relate to the presence of lightness, darkness, and color in the setting? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze and discuss the role of eyes and eyesight in the novella and support your points with text details.

3. Consider the representation of animals in the story. Which animals are mentioned in the story? What do they represent, and how do they serve the plot? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain why Fuentes includes depictions of animals and animal cruelty in the novella and offer support for your ideas on its wider symbolic meaning.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following feelings best describes Felipe’s initial reaction upon reading the advertisement in the newspaper?

A) Confident in his suitability for the role

B) Dissuaded by the low pay

C) Unsure of the application of his background

D) Disenchanted by the unglamorous duties

2. Which of the following senses is limited for Felipe throughout the story?

A) Smell

B) Sight

C) Taste

D) Touch

3. Which of the following visuals is associated with Aura throughout the novel?

A) The toothless smile

B) The color green

C) The blond hair

D) The tattered dress

4. Which of the following combination of words best describes the representation of religion in the novella?

A) Violent and severe

B) Magnificent and adoring

C) Benevolent and gentle

D) Consistent and soothing

5. Which of the following words best describes Felipe ’s state as the novella progresses?

A) Sharper

B) Entranced

C) Frightened

D) Revolted

6. What is Señora Llorente most preoccupied with throughout the novel?

A) Maintaining her youthful appearance

B) Finding a husband for Aura

C) Learning the truth of her husband’s death

D) Befriending Felipe

7. Which of the following phrases best explains what the motif of rats represents in the novella?

A) The disgust of colonial pastimes

B) The increase in commercialization

C) The presence of supernatural elements

D) The desire to befriend animals

8. Which detail of Señora Llorente’s backstory likely contributed to her early obsession with youthfulness?

A) The dilapidation of her home

B) A newfound interest in poisonous plants

C) Her discovery of the General’s journals

D) An inability to have children

9. Which two ideas are most strongly juxtaposed in the imagery of the novella?

A) Marriage and infidelity

B) Religion and witchcraft

C) Industry and idleness

D) Animals and humans

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is the narration point of view of the novella? How does this style affect the protagonist?

2. What is the setting of the novella? Consider both the external setting as well as the immediate setting that Felipe grapples with. How does the setting contribute to the novella’s atmosphere and themes?