Main Characters
A firefighter that reclaims his critical thinking skills and understanding of the world at the end of Fahrenheit 451
Montag
This famous poet talks about what he hears from the "bells, bells, bells"
Edgar Allan Poe
Known for her works in the horror genre, this writer is responsible for the short story "The Lottery"
Shirley Jackson
This 1945 novella, an allegorical beast fable, depicts a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where all animals are equal. It has characters like Napoleon and Snowball representing figures from the Russian Revolution, such as Stalin and Trotsky. The book ends with the famous maxim, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Animal Farm
The Taylor Swift song, "The Fate of Ophelia" was inspired by which of Shakespeare's works?
Hamlet
This character works for the Ministry of Truth and spends his time altering historical records to fit the Party's agenda. The ubiquitous slogan "Big Brother is Watching You" is featured prominently throughout the classic dystopian novel 1984
Winston Smith
Name this medieval poetry collection narrated by pilgrims at the Tabard Inn, written by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales
This classic short story follows characters like General Zaroff, Rainsford, and Ivan. The narrative explores themes of survival, the morality of hunting, and the blurred line between the hunter and the hunted.
The Most Dangerous Game
One character in this novel works at a rest home, another often wears a red hunting hat, and the main character repeatedly asks about the fate of the ducks at the Central Park Lagoon. The protagonist, a prep school student named Holden Caulfield, recounts his experiences after being expelled from Pencey Prep in a stream-of-consciousness narrative. Name iconic J.D. Salinger novel about teenage angst and alienation.
The Catcher in the Rye
This famous John Green Novel was turned into a movie adaptation in 2014, setting Charli XCX's career in motion since her chart-topping pop song "Boom Clap" was on the soundtrack
The Fault in Our Stars
Known for her witty and independent personality, this eldest sister is the main character of Jane Austen's most famous novel
Elizabeth Bennett
Who is the poet of the poem Harlem, where he discusses "What happens to a dream deferred?" This poet is the inspiration for the famous play "A Raisin in the Sun" which is another line in the poem.
Langston Hughes
In Franz Kafka's 1915 novella, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, awakens one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous vermin, often interpreted as a large insect or beetle.
Metamorphosis
This novel features a character who keeps an old dog that is eventually shot by Carlson. Another character in this work dreams of tending rabbits on a small farm he hopes to own with his companion. Set during the Great Depression, it follows two migrant workers, George Milton and the mentally disabled Lennie Small, whose friendship ends tragically after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Name this novella by John Steinbeck.
Of Mice and Men
This book has inspired a Broadway musical starring Jeremy Jordan and a 2013 film adaptation featuring famous actors such as Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Great Gatsby
This character lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The plot of To Kill a Mockingbird is driven by the events surrounding the trial of Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, whom Atticus is appointed to defend.
Scout Finch
This poem by T. S. Eliot is widely regarded as one of the most important English-language poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. This poem explores the aftermath of World War I through themes of disillusionment and societal collapse
The Wasteland
This short story by Guy de Maupassant features a heartbreaking twist at the end, examining debt, wealth disparities, time, and sacrifice
The Necklace
In this memoir, the author recalls being separated from his mother and sister upon arriving at Birkenau. It describes the hanging of a young pipel, the death march to Gleiwitz, and the author’s struggle with faith while imprisoned in Auschwitz. The narrator’s relationship with his father becomes central as they endure starvation, forced labor, and illness until liberation. Name this Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel.
Night
The elegy “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman was written in 1865 to mourn the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The poem uses an extended metaphor of a ship’s captain who dies just as the ship reaches port. Which 1990s movie is known for referencing the title of this poem in its most famous scene?
Dead Poet's Society
The protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five becomes "unstuck in time" after being abducted by aliens called Tralfamadorians and surviving the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. The book notably repeats the phrase "So it goes" after every mention of death.
Billy Pilgrim
This English poet is best known for his work from the Romantic era of literature. His famous 1818 sonnet titled "Ozdemandyus" follows a traveler who speaks about the shattered statue of a king in the desert
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This work of science fiction is an epistolary narrative told through the "progress reports" of a man with an IQ of 68. The protagonist, Charlie Gordon, undergoes an experimental surgical procedure designed to dramatically increase his intelligence, a procedure first tested on a white mouse. The story explores ethical themes of human experimentation and the nature of intelligence as Charlie's mental capacity rapidly increases, then tragically deteriorates. The title refers to the protagonist's final request to place them on his deceased friend's grave.
Flowers for Algernon
The chapters in this novel are numbered using prime numbers, and the protagonist, Christopher John Francis Boone, frequently goes on tangents about mathematics and physics. The title itself is a direct quote from the Sherlock Holmes story "Silver Blaze". The plot centers on the narrator's investigation into the death of his neighbor's dog, Wellington, which leads him to uncover a complex web of family secrets. Name this best-selling novel by Mark Haddon.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Book banning is the removal or restriction of books from libraries, schools, or bookstores due to objections to their content, ideas, or themes. Since 2014, this young adult book has had the most reported challenges and bans in the United States. This New York Times Bestseller book is challenged for its candid portrayal of poverty, racism, alcoholism, and the high school experience from a Native American teen's perspective.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (by Sherman Alexie)