Welcome, and thanks for reading! Each week at Write with a Point, I share two suggestions on how I’ve taught (or would teach) a specific short story, along with some additional information about the text. Let’s get right to it.
- Basic information about the text:
- A quick summary of “The Pedestrian”:
- Why Teach “The Pedestrian”:
- Two no-prep lesson plans for Bradbury’s short story:
- Additional teaching suggestions:
- A final word:
Basic information about the text:
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Dystopian
Textual Connections: Bradbury’s text connects, unsurprisingly, with many of his other works, including Fahrenheit 451 and “The Veldt.” There are also some interesting overlaps between this story and Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron”—especially when considering the ways government, policing, conformity, and equity have developed. For the same reasons, it also pairs well with George Orwell’s dystopian classic, 1984.
A quick summary of “The Pedestrian”:
In the year 2053, Leonard Mead takes a walk. It’s a dear habit of his—these nightly walks—but he never sees anyone else on the street; they’re all at home in front of their televisions. On this particular walk, however, he runs into company, and his meandering stroll takes an unexpected turn.
Why Teach “The Pedestrian”:
If you’ve been teaching ELA for any amount of time, you’ve probably been told to teach “The Pedestrian.” A quick Google search proves just how frequently its recommended, showing up on many “best short story” lists, teaching blogs, and Reddit threads. (There’s no shortage of lesson plans, either.) But why?
My honest answer: Good question. I actually think this is one of Bradbury’s weaker stories. When I reread it for this post, I found its metaphors and imagery to be much less cohesive than the ones in his other works. I also think the theme comes off a bit heavy-handed, and his vision of the future seem far less prescient than it is in other stories. (To me, it felt more like reading an alternate history than a sci-fi tale nearly thirty years in the future.)
That said, you’re probably asking yourself a new question now: “Why did you make a lesson plan for it?” Again, good question. My honest answer: The weaknesses in “The Pedestrian” make it a great text for comparison. The heavy-handed themes make them easier to recognize and evaluate. And the unrealistic future makes a more damning one—like what’s seen in “The Veldt” or “Harrison Bergeron”—that much more convincing. Of course, you could skip this story altogether and just teach one of those texts; I wouldn’t argue with your choice. But if you do feel like stretching some lesser flexed literary muscles (namely: comparing and contrasting), this could be a good option for you.
Two no-prep lesson plans for Bradbury’s short story:
Option One: A comparison with Bradbury’s more popular story, “The Veldt”
Generally speaking, this lesson will take two (or three) days to complete. To keep it at the two day mark, I typically have students read Bradbury’s (short) short story, “The Pedestrian,” on their own before starting day one.
As class starts, review the basic plot of “The Pedestrian” with your students. You can do this in many ways. Whatever you do, try to keep this portion of your class relatively short. Personally, I like to do this by asking students about the key events from the story, then drawing those responses on the board like a comic. (I’ll mention that I’m a terrible artist, but that’s half the fun; my students love to tease me about my art skills.) If you prefer, you can simply write down the key events and details in a bullet-point list.
Next, read Bradbury’s (better) short story, “The Veldt,” together as a class. There are lots of free audio versions of this on Youtube if you don’t want to wear out your voice. You could also have students read this in small groups, but I like to do it together so there’s no lag time.
Once you’ve finished, repeat the summary activity that you did with “The Pedestrian” for “The Veldt.” Quickly have students review the key plot details. If there’s additional time at the end of class, have students think about and discuss the following questions. This can be done as a whole class, or you can have students think-pair-share their responses.
- What role do TVs play in each story?
- How else has technology advanced in either story?
- Who (in either story) willingly accepts these technological advances? Who resists?
- What is the role of psychology in both stories?
- How are the characters in both stories similar or different?
On the second day, have students draw an empty Venn diagram on a sheet of paper. Briefly review the stories and questions from the day before, then put the same questions on the white board or projector. Let students use these as the basis for their diagram. (They can add anything else they think of, too.)
Working in pairs or small groups, have students fill out their Venn diagrams. Some sample thoughts on the similarities and differences between the stories are listed below:
- In “The Veldt,” a psychiatrist suggests less screen time for the children. In “The Pedestrian,” Leonard is taken to the “Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies,” presumably suggesting that his isolation and lack of screen time is regressive.
- In The Veldt, the children resist the suggestion of less time in the nursery. (Quite dramatically, if you’ve read the story.) In “The Pedestrian,” Leonard willingly steps into the police car.
- In both stories, technology has become more real than reality: the nursery comes to life and the police car is fully automated.
- TV occupies everyone in “The Pedestrian.” In “The Veldt,” it primarily occupies the children.
- The children don’t like to socialize in “The Veldt,” preferring isolation in the nursery. Interestingly, Leonard (who doesn’t watch TV) also doesn’t socialize in “The Pedestrian.”
After students have completed their Venn diagrams, have them share some of their thoughts with the class. You can create a diagram on the board and capture their responses if you’d like. Then have each student respond to the following prompt with a complete paragraph to close the lesson: “After reading both stories, describe Bradbury’s opinion on television/technology. Does he think too much ‘screen-time’ is dangerous? Or fine? Do you agree?”
Option Two: A comparison with Bradbury’s contemporary, Kurt Vonnegut, and his short story, “Harrison Bergeron”
Structurally speaking, this two day lesson will be very similar to the one above. Before starting, have students read “The Pedestrian” as homework.
As class starts, review the basic plot of “The Pedestrian” with your students. Next, read Kurt Vonnegut’s (better) short story, “Harrison Bergeron,” together as a class.
Once you’ve finished, repeat the summary activity that you did with “The Pedestrian” for “Harrison Bergeron.” Quickly have students review the key plot details. If there’s additional time at the end of day one, have students think about and discuss the following questions. This can be done as a whole class, or you can have students think-pair-share their responses.
- How is the government portrayed in each text?
- Who has control in either story?
- How is technology used to influence or control society in either story?
- How are televisions used in each story?
- How is Harrison like Leonard? How are they different?
- What role does conformity play in the stories? What about equality?
On the second day, have students draw an empty Venn diagram on a sheet of paper. Briefly review the stories and questions from the day before, then put the same questions on the white board or projector. Again, let students use these as the basis for their diagram, but emphasize that they can use other ideas (i.e. similarities or differences) as well.
Working in pairs or small groups, have students fill out their Venn diagrams. Some sample thoughts on the similarities and differences between the stories are listed below:
- Both stories present a society where the government has “fixed” all the problems. There’s little need for policing in either story. Most people fall in line and are content with their station.
- In “The Pedestrian,” control almost seems to be in the “hands” of technology. Its automated, in other words, between the police cars and televisions. In “Harrison Bergeron,” the Handicapper General has the most control.
- Different technologies are used in each story, with the notable exception of televisions. In “The Pedestrian,” it’s the (nearly irrelevant) police cars that are used the most. Everyone else is content watching TV. In “Harrison Bergeron,” there are many unique technologies that are used to make everyone equal: earpieces, televisions, physical restraints, and more.
- In both stories, the presence of televisions plays a significant role. It is what keeps most of the population (except for Harrison and Leonard) occupied, compliant, and obedient. It’s used to dull the masses. Interestingly, the refusal to watch TV is what makes Leonard an outcast in “The Pedestrian.” But in “Harrison Bergeron,” Harrison tries to use the TV to get people’s attention.
- Both Harrison and Leonard are the anomalies in their society. Both reject the social norms and practices. Both get in trouble with the law/government. Leonard, however, willingly goes with the police. Harrison puts up a fight. Also, as noted above, Harrison tries to use technology to his advantage while Leonard just ignores it.
- In Vonnegut’s story, conformity and equality (as presented) are shown in a negative light. “The Pedestrian,” however, could be read multiple ways. It could be that conformity is bad and Leonard is presented as an antithesis to the flawed society. But an alternate reading could suggest that Leonard, truly, is the outcast, and he pays a steep price for that role.
After students have completed their Venn diagrams, have them share some of their thoughts with the class. You can create a diagram on the board and capture their responses if you’d like. Then have each student respond to the following prompt with a complete paragraph to close the lesson: “Between the two different authors, whose vision of the future is more convincing? Why?”
Additional teaching suggestions:
- There are a lot of interesting similarities between the Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut. If you have time, some of them are worth mentioning:
- They were two years apart in age.
- They were both from the Midwest (Illinois and Indiana, specifically).
- They both wrote on similar themes.
- They were both horrified by the evil mankind could commit.
- They were also both awed by humanity’s capacity for love and wonder.
- If you’d like to extend the lesson a little further, you could have your students complete some research about both authors before reading the stories. Knowing context about their lives, their imaginations, and the societal concerns at the time can make these stories even more illuminating. (Here’s a link to an interesting article that covers some basic similarities between the two.)
- Wondering when to teach “The Pedestrian”? Including it before Fahrenheit 451 usually works well. It also makes a good pairing with George Orwell’s 1984, and your students will have plenty to discuss when comparing the modes of policing in the two.
- If you want, you can find a printable, teacher friendly version of this blog post on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. You can also find other teaching tools available for purchase there.
A final word:
Generally, I figure that if you’ve found your way to this blog, you’re familiar with the story. Because of that, I don’t spend much time discussing what I think of as “SparkNotes” details—things like themes, character development, literary devices, or important quotes. Instead, I focus on the tangible questions and activities you can bring into your classroom. That said, if you have questions about those aspects of the story, please feel free to leave a comment. Also, if you have other teaching ideas, I’d love to hear them!
Thanks again for reading.
Nate Geeting
Write with a Point 