Soul Surfer

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.

“Soul Surfers: Widening the Spiritual Scope”

In this activity, students will broaden their understanding of the connection between spirituality and surfing by exploring other religious traditions that find meaning in surf culture.

Hamilton’s life is devoted to Christianity and surf culture. Having faith in God, as Hamilton writes, is not something that she feels the need to justify. Rather, she writes: “It’s the same as surfing: you can’t know what it feels like, what it does for you, unless you’re a part of the club.” (Chapter 10) Christians like Hamilton, however, are not the only religious tradition that embraces surf culture.

In this exercise, work in a small group of 3-4 peers to research other religious traditions that find meaning in surf culture. You will also explore how they are similar or different from Hamilton as she describes herself in Soul Surfer. Create a visual aid for your presentation on the information you find (e.g., a slide deck or a poster board).

To guide your research, complete each of the following steps:

• Research various religious traditions that connect to surfing, either online or at the library.
• Identify the religious tradition on which you’d like to focus.
• Provide background information on your visual aid (e.g., number of people practicing the religion, the belief system, and historical facts). Use bullet points or a graphic organizer to reveal reasons for embracing surf culture.
• Next, compare that tradition with Hamilton’s experience as a Christian. Cite 2-3 sections of the text where Hamilton connects her love of surfing with her Christian beliefs.
• Finally, find an image regarding your selected community to illustrate your presentation.

Each small group should present their findings to the class and discuss how the research helped in understanding Hamilton’s connection to Christianity in Soul Surfer in a new or different way. For example, did stories of Resilience appear in other religious traditions? How did the idea of fate or a plan feature (or not) for other surfers?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to research the various religious and/or spiritual traditions as widely as possible. These articles and similar resources may be helpful in getting started.

• Surfer Today’s “Muslim Surfers: Finding Islam and Allah in Every Wave” (Content Warning: Informal language and sensitive topics such as apartheid, racism, bigotry, and gender issues)
• Bear Surf Board’s “The Spiritual Aspect of Surfing in the Ancient Hawaiian Island”

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. The concept of “theodicy” is one of the central questions explored throughout Soul Surfer.

• What is the definition of theodicy and how does it relate to Hamilton’s story? (topic sentence)
• Choose and discuss 3 moments in the text when Hamilton interprets life’s challenges as being part of God’s plan.
• In your conclusion, summarize the ways in which God’s Plan is connected to the idea of theodicy with Hamilton’s story as an example.

2. Soul Surfer is written in a conversational tone and with a first-person point of view.

• Why do you think Hamilton chose to tell her story as a memoir? (topic sentence)
• How might Hamilton’s story have been different if someone else relayed it? Address benefits and drawbacks by analyzing specific events or moments from the text as examples.
• In your conclusion, discuss how memoir is an especially conducive genre for telling a story about how personal Faith enables Resilience.

3. “Aloha” has a unique meaning in Hawaii.

• How does Hamilton’s understanding of community relate to the definition of “aloha”? (topic sentence)
• What role does community play in Hamilton’s recovery from her shark attack? Identify and discuss at least three examples from the text. Analyze the extent to which each example helps her recovery and connect your examples to your idea in the topic sentence.
• In your conclusion, summarize how the Community theme develops in meaning from the start of the book to the ending.

Full Essay Assignments

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

1. Soul Surfer opens with a catalyzing event: the shark attack. However, Chapter 1 also contains ordinary details about Hamilton’s life: how Hawaiians celebrate Halloween, her parents’ morning rituals, and what she typically eats for breakfast. How do the attack and the everyday details work together? What larger point is Hamilton making by including these details? How does describing the everyday elements of Hamilton’s life help the reader understand her Community? In your essay, analyze the ways in which the ordinary details contribute to the dramatic arc of the book while simultaneously building the particulars of Hamilton’s life and community.

2. Destiny, which can also be called “fate” or “chance,” plays a major role in Hamilton’s life. How does destiny result in Hamilton’s love of surfing? What elements of chance are present in the morning of the shark attack? How does Hamilton also experience good fortune? In a well-structured essay with details of support from the text, consider how Hamilton’s personal sense of destiny Gives Life Meaning and how she views destiny/fate as a force that Guides Life.

3. Hamilton describes Hawaii as a magical place. Describe her relationship to her natural surroundings on the island of Kauai, including the sea. How does this relationship impact her Resilience and her recovery from the shark attack? What significance is there in Hamilton’s return to the ocean so soon after the attack? In your essay, explore the ways in which the natural surroundings form a kind of Community for Hamilton, one that helps her move on after the trauma of the attack.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. As described in Chapter 1, what does Hamilton remember about the bathing suit she was wearing the day of her attack?

A) It matched her surfboard.

B) It was uncomfortably tight.

C) It was a brilliant shade of blue.

D) It was brand new.

2. Hamilton’s best friend Is present on the morning of the shark attack. What is the friend’s name?

A) Jesse

B) Abigail

C) Alana

D) Cindy

3.What did Bethany’s father, Tom, do during the Vietnam War that shows his devotion to surfing?

A) He saved all his soldier’s earnings for new surf gear.

B) He sought out other surfers to share his passion, even on a Naval ship.

C) He went on a missionary trip to remote sections of Vietnam to teach surfing.

D) He founded the group “Surfing Peaceniks Against the War,” a community of anti-war surfers.

4. According to Hamilton, what is in the family’s bloodline (a metaphor for their passion for surfing)?

A) Seaweed

B) Saltwater

C) Sand

D) Minnows

5. Which of the following best describes Hamilton’s explanation for “bad luck” fitting into God’s plan?

A) Hardship makes people stronger, and God wants us to be strong.

B) “Bad luck” is an indication that God wants you to change.

C) Misfortune is a concept that Christians see as a rite of passage.

D) Fate, even the “bad” things, guides life and gives it meaning.

6. Which of the following is not a feature of Hamilton’s faith community in Kauai?

A) Bible study

B) Church camp

C) Youth group

D) Missionary service

7. Which of the following describes what Tunnels Beach symbolizes in Soul Surfer?

A) Tunnels Beach symbolizes the chaotic mystery of the universe.

B) Tunnels Beach symbolizes a sadness that takes hold of Hamilton, knowing that she will be forever changed after the accident.

C) Tunnels Beach symbolizes a new beginning in her faith journey for Hamilton, in which she transitions into a deeper level of faith.

D) Tunnels Beach symbolizes the combative relationship that humans and nature have had since the beginning of time.

8. Hamilton’s family and friends initially reacted to the news of the shark attack with shock and fear. Notably, what was their next reaction?

A) Grief

B) Empathy

C) Anger

D) Prayer

9. The shark that attacks Hamilton takes on a symbolic meaning in Soul Surfer. What does the shark represent?

A) The events in life, both good in bad, that help God’s plan unfold

B) The cruelty of nature

C) The unpredictability and chaos inherent to the ocean

D) The challenges that test one’s determination and optimism

10. With what condition is Hamilton’s brother’s friend afflicted when Hamilton visits him in the hospital?

A) A jellyfish sting

B) A brain tumor

C) A broken leg

D) Stomach flu

11. When Hamilton’s community stages a benefit for her in Chapter 11, what does she conclude after the event?

A) She will help others in the future if she has the chance.

B) She wants to invest the money for other survivors of shark bites.

C) She reflects on a Bible passage about the bounty of community.

D) She has never received so much money at once.

12. With which theme does the Hawaiian term “aloha” most closely connect?

A) Faith

B) Resilience

C) Community

D) Fate

13. Chapter 13 ends with a glossary of terms for what specialized terminology relevant to Hamilton’s life?

A) Biblical terms

B) Hawaiian slang

C) Kauai botanical terms

D) Surfspeak

14. What metaphor does Hamilton use to explain God’s plan for her life?

A) Supported by solid rock

B) Carried by the wings of a dove

C) Protected by a giant oak tree

D) Journeying by cargo boat

15. Which of the following best describes how Hamilton would explain why God allows bad things to happen to good people?

A) Good people punished on Earth will be rewarded in Heaven.

B) Even bad times are part of God’s plan, and God is ultimately good.

C) God sometimes tests good people with difficult events to prove their loyalty.

D) God only lets bad things happen to bad people, so those “good” people are actually bad.

Long Answer

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

1. Hamilton accepted that surfing was a dangerous sport, even prior to her shark attack. Explain Hamilton’s philosophy on choosing not to dwell on potential dangers/risks of the sport.

2. Does Hamilton believe in the idea of “handicaps”? Why or why not?