Comparative Analysis of Contemporary Works in English 12

Students in Nate Gleiner’s English 12 class concluded their reading of Kiese Laymon’s “Heavy” by connecting the memoir to a contemporary artistic work with similar themes. Students both wrote comparative analyses of their chosen work and the memoir, and they distilled this written analysis into a presentation for the other members of the class. Students chose a wide variety of artists and sources to discuss and analyze, including musicians (Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Marvin Gaye), films (“Remember the Titans”, “Hidden Figures”), and television shows (“Gray’s Anatomy,” “Black-ish”). They offered examples for comparison and discussed how each creator employs his or her genre to address modern social issues.