/HUG

PRESENTATION

/HUG

Start

Lesson Standards

8.2(B)

8.2(A)

8.1(A)

8.3

8.5(C)

8.5(E)

8.5(G)

8.5(F)

8.6(A)

8.6(D)

8.6(E)

8.6(C)

What will our lesson look like?

Make connections using context clues to define new vocabulary, and demonstrate comprehension by responding to questions using text evidence.

To critically engage with the text /HUG and develop a deeper understanding of its themes and characters.

• Identify and describe key narrative elements in "/HUG."
• Analyze and explain the use of symbolism in the story.

I will use academic language to discuss and write about the narrative, symbolism, and themes present in "/HUG."

Do Now:

• What do you think this quote means?
• What are your thoughts on on why empathy is important in literature and daily life?

Introduction

Author Ehud Lavski and artist Yael Nathan of EL Comics explore the harsh reality of a virtual game in their graphic story "/HUG." In a world populated by non-playable characters and humans operated by avatars, one human is faced with a dilemma and dwindling time in the video game world. In this massive multiplayer online role-play game (MMORPG), the main characters are ultimately confronted with a tough question: what do you do when you know that time is running out?*Watch Intro Video

verb to survive or win despite difficulty The runner worked to overcome her ankle injury.

overcome

noun an animal's skin and fur Wearing pelts helps people stay warm in freezing weather.

pelt

noun a widespread disease that kills a lot of people A plague killed a lot of people in medieval Europe.

plague

noun a long or difficult search The knight went on a quest through the dangerous forest.

noun a large number of people, animals, or moving objects Kylie ran away from the swarm of bees.

quest

adjective left alone or not watched The babysitter would never leave a child unattended.

swarm

unattended

CONTEXT & BACKGROUND

• The graphic short story is set inside a video game.
• You need to understand that the setting is a virtual world.
• In the text, Lord Walker is an avatar controlled by a human player. Alena is a non-playable character.
• Because the text is a graphic short story, you will have to link images and dialogue to understand the characters and plot.
• The story is told in chronological order, but students may need help understanding the ending as the images fade to black.

ViDEO

What is a MMORPG?

Summary

Set in a medieval world in a multiplayer online role-play game, this excerpt opens as the game is about to be shut down. Lord Walker knows this so he visits Alena, a storekeeper in town, to warn her. As they step outside, Alena sees the Swarm and pulls out her dagger. Walker stops her and says that the world is about to end but not because of the Swarm. Walker explains that this medieval world is actually generated inside a box known as a computer, and his real body exists in another world with that computer. Alena is astounded and angry, asking why people like him come here. “To play,” he responds. Alena is even more outraged as this world is her reality, not a game. Alena begs Walker to convince the gamekeepers not to shut down the game, but nothing more can be done. They hold each other as everything collapses around them.

Quiz

THANKS!