Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What do you know about the history of the climate change debate? Why do you think humans are having such a challenging time fighting climate change? Why has humanity not united to fight this threat?

Teaching Suggestion: You could scaffold this question according to grade and ability level, but because the poem focuses on the human response to climate change, it is important to get students thinking right away about the conversations surrounding climate change more than just the science. Because climate change is a political issue, it may be useful to give students access to scientific sources that provide concrete evidence for climate change. The first link below from the United Nations is a good place to start.

• This article is an explanation of climate change from the United Nations. The website is a central hub for information about climate change, including science, influential figures in the debate, history, and links to other reputable articles. This may be a helpful place for students to start, especially if they are unfamiliar with some of the details of the issue.
• “The Long Fight Against Climate Change Deniers” is an Al Jazeera news article that introduces some of the history over the past 30 years of the fight against climate change denialism. It goes into specifics about how scientists connect climate change to individual climate events, which helps show how evidence is collected for the case against denialism. The article is also useful for introducing students to some of the forces that seek to perpetuate denialism.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the poem.

One of the most influential verses from the Christian Bible is 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Do you agree with this verse’s claim that “the love of money is the root of all evil”? What examples from your life or from history can you think of to help support your position?

Teaching Suggestion: You might consider introducing the idea that Atwood’s text uses religion to tell the story of greed and climate change and to highlight the fact that as a Western writer, she operates within a culture dominated by Christian allusions and symbolism. When posing this question and getting into the text, it may be helpful to remind students that the point of this text is not to debate or critique individual religious belief systems; instead, Atwood is using religion to show how powerful greed is and the costly effects of that greed.