Leviathan

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.

“Playing the Game of War”

In this activity, students will work in groups to create an original, theme-based board game with rules, mechanics, objectives, and designs that connect to textual details.

When Leviathan opens, Alek is playing at war with the figures on his desk. This moment foreshadows the impending international conflict in which Alek finds himself caught. Although Alek quickly learns that true war is not merely a game, the figures still function as tools to represent military elements. Just as Alek used his figures to represent battle strategy, in this activity you will work with a group to create a board game that represents one of the novel’s major themes.

• Select one of the novel’s three major themes: (Resolving Differences Between Competing Groups, Doing the Right Thing and the Perception of What Is Right, or The Consequences of Subterfuge) around which to base your board game. Analyze your theme’s development throughout the text. Which events in the plot develop the theme? How does your theme catalyze conflict or character growth?
• Work with your fellow group members to plan your board game. Clearly define rules, including the ultimate objective of your game, the conflict and challenges involved, and the mechanics, including restrictions on players’ progression through the board.
• The theme you have selected should inform the development of your board game’s rules and mechanics. The theme must explicitly become a mechanic in your game—for example:
• If you have chosen the theme of The Consequences of Subterfuge, there might be a mechanic in your game that allows players to keep secrets from one another and another mechanic that forces them to face consequences for information they choose to withhold.
• If you have chosen the theme of Resolving Differences Between Competing Groups, you might include a mechanic that forces players to work together to achieve the goal of the game.
• If you have chosen Doing the Right Thing and the Perception of What Is Right, you might include a mechanic that prompts players to make difficult judgment calls in-game, or one that strategically obscures players’ perception of the “full picture” so that they must make decisions based only on what they can understand of the game’s progression from their perspective.
• Design the board for your game, along with its props; you will need pieces to represent each player, as well as any additional pieces needed to execute actions in the game. Be creative in your design! Incorporate at least 3 symbols, motifs, or settings from the text into your board game’s design.  
• Create a detailed instruction manual that explains the rules, objectives, and mechanics of your game.
• Also included in your instruction manual should be a 1-page defense that explains how your board game represents your chosen theme. All members of the group should contribute equally to the reflection.
• Present your board game with a walk-through of its mechanics; defend its connection to the text.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity will likely function best as group work. While students are encouraged to combine creativity and analysis skills to come up with a board game on their own, some may feel confused or unsure how to start; it may be helpful to help students make connections to board games they have played and prompt them to analyze the rules and mechanics of a familiar game in order to direct their thinking on how they might create their own.  

As part of the closure activity, the class might have a board game session during which students have the opportunity to play other groups’ games. To maximize engagement, students might write short reflections on how effectively each game displays conflicts and themes from the text.

Differentiation Suggestion: To accommodate a variety of learning styles and student strengths, each member of the group may be responsible for a specific component. All students should participate in forming the mechanics and rules of the game; other tasks may be divided equally among the group members. For example, spatial, kinesthetic, or artistic learners may be responsible for creating the game set, including the board and pieces. Those seeking to utilize or practice a logical or linguistic learning style might create the game manual or instruction booklet. Students who would benefit from an opportunity in interactive and debate-style learning may be responsible for crafting a strong presentation and oral defense of the project.

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. At the end of the novel, British and Austrian forces must work together to escape the Swiss mountains and the coming German attack.

• What do the Leviathan’s modifications represent? (topic sentence)
• Explain your topic sentence with analysis on these and other points, using textual details for logical support: What differences exist between Darwinist and Clanker ideologies? How has each side perceived the other up until this point? How do the events of the novel force them together, and how do they ultimately seek cooperation with one another?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of the symbolism of the hybrid Leviathan. How does the modification of the ship contribute to one or more themes?

2. As the son of a ruler and a commoner, Alek faces questions about his identity and role in the Austria-Hungary empire.  

• How does Alek’s understanding of his identity change throughout the novel? (topic sentence)
• Address these or similar points using text details in defending your topic sentence: How do the circumstances of Alek’s birth (the morganatic marriage) inform his understanding of his identity? What events in the novel prompt important realizations for Alek? How has Alek changed as a character by the end of the novel?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize Alek’s character arc in the text and briefly explain how it helps to develop at least one of the novel’s themes.

3. In the world of the novel and real-life Victorian England, women’s standards of behavior are very different from those of men.

• How does Deryn’s conflict regarding restrictive social conventions help to convey her characterization? (topic sentence)
• How does Deryn circumvent the expectations of women? How do her struggles with social conventions inform her internal conflicts and developing identity in the novel? Use textual details and quotations to discuss and analyze how this conflict conveys characterization through direct and indirect means.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly judge and explain whether or not Deryn might have chosen another path forward given the societal expectations in the novel’s setting.

Full Essay Assignments

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

1. Evaluate the motif of secrets in the novel. What role do they play in both Alek and Deryn’s stories? How does secret-keeping create distance or closeness and heighten stakes in the novel? What consequences do Alek and Deryn face because of their secret keeping? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze the ways in which the motif of secrets helps to define the two protagonists and their roles as foils. Include a prediction regarding the way unrevealed secrets will impact characters and events in future novels.

2. Consider the differences between Alek and Volger in the novel. What is the relationship of the two characters to one another? How does each character have a different perception of what is right? How do they reconcile or conflict over their views? In a 3-paragraph essay, discuss the ways in which their differences ultimately catalyze character growth for one or both characters. Include details and examples to support your discussion.

3. Consider the historical aspects from which Westerfeld has drawn inspiration for the events of Leviathan. Which historical events, people, or places has Westerfeld included in the novel? Which elements has he changed for the purposes of the story? Why do you think he chose to add steampunk elements to the story? In a structured paragraph with details and examples, evaluate the extent to which his decisions impact the way the reader experiences the text’s themes or the journey of its protagonists.

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

Multiple Choice

1. From what major global historical event does the author draw inspiration for the events of the novel?

A) World War I

B) The Great Depression

C) World War II

D) The Cold War

2. Which of the following best describes the genre of the novel?

A) Science fiction

B) Fantasy

C) Bildungsroman

D) Steampunk historical fiction

3. Who are the two major competing groups in the novel?

A) British versus Russians

B) Darwinists versus Clankers

C) Germans versus Austrians

D) Mechaniks versus Luddites

4. Which of the following symbols is the strongest example of Resolving Differences Between Competing Groups in the novel?

A) Fabricated beasts

B) The Archduke’s saber

C) The modified Leviathan

D) Dr. Barlow’s secret cargo

5. Which three words best characterize Deryn?

A) Arrogant, immature, outspoken

B) Bold, competitive, aggressive

C) Courageous, compassionate, adventurous

D) Intelligent, measured, principled

6. Which idea best identifies the source of Alek’s primary internal conflict throughout the novel?

A) Identity

B) Fear

C) Loss

D) Morality

7. Which characters best exemplify the theme of The Consequences of Subterfuge?

A) Deryn, Volger, and Klopp

B) Alek, Deryn, and Volger

C) Dr. Barlow, Alek, and Klopp

D) Deryn, Alek, and Dr. Barlow

8. In what way does Alek’s experience in Lienz prompt change in his perspective?

A) It reinforces that he is superior to others.

B) He realizes his disconnection from his people.

C) It inspires him to accept greater responsibility.

D) He resolves to become a stronger warrior.

9. What prominent literary device in the text helps to convey plot?

A) Simile

B) Verbal irony

C) Hyperbole

D) Historical allusion

10. Which of the following is the most significant setting in the novel?

A) The Leviathan

B) Lienz

C) London

D) The Archduke’s castle

11. Which example from the text best exemplifies the theme of Doing the Right Thing?

A) Alek disobeys Volger to help the crew of the Leviathan.

B) Deryn wants Alek to know that she lied for him.

C) Dr. Barlow agrees to keep Alek’s secret.

D) Deryn disguises herself as a boy to enter the Air Service.

12. Which moment best reflects the climax of the novel?

A) The Leviathan crashes in the Swiss mountains after an aerial attack.

B) Deryn takes Alek prisoner to prevent the Stormwalker from attacking.

C) The Austrians and British escape the Germans on board the modified Leviathan.

D) Alek and Deryn discover the truth about the Leviathan’s mission.

13. Which of the following most effectively contributes to Alek’s changed perspective on war and its cost?

A) During his first battle, Alek realizes it is no game.

B) Alek mourns his parents’ deaths and shoulders newfound responsibilities.

C) After accidentally killing a young soldier, Alek feels sick.  

D) Alek chooses to chart his own path after disobeying Volger’s orders.

14. What are the most significant motifs in the novel?

A) Science and ethics

B) Mechanical and fabricated beasts

C) Philosophy and mathematics

D) Military strategy and warfare

15. Which of the following character pairs are the strongest example of a foil in the novel?

A) Volger and Dr. Barlow

B) Dr. Barlow and Klopp

C) Deryn and Dr. Barlow

D) Alek and Deryn

Long Answer

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

1. Summarize the Leviathan’s changing symbolic significance throughout the novel.

2. How does Alek demonstrate growth throughout the novel?