All the Years of Her Life

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.

“Exploring Character Relationships”

In this activity, students will dive deeper into a character’s relationships and explore connections to overarching themes of the text by writing a character analysis and a series of letters between characters.

Part A: Character Analysis

Select a character: Choose either Alfred or his mother to focus on for this activity.

Create a character profile: Imagine you are a character analyst studying your chosen character. Write a detailed character profile that includes their personality traits, their motivations, and their perspective on their relationship with the other character.

Identify key moments: Identify at least three key moments or interactions between the chosen character and the other character (Alfred or his mother) that highlight any changes (or lack thereof) in their relationship throughout the story.

Analyze the relationship: For each identified moment, analyze how it reveals the relationship between the characters. Consider the emotions, conflicts, and any shifts in power dynamics that occur. Use evidence from the text to support your analysis.

Part B: Letter Exchange

Write a letter: Imagine that your chosen character (Alfred or his mother) decides to write a letter to the other character expressing their thoughts and feelings about their relationship.