Romeo and Juliet is the story of two young lovers who are from rival families. Romeo is a Montague who is dragged to a party after having his heart broken by another woman. Juliet is a Capulet whose family is working toward marrying her off to a man she is not interested in. They meet at the party and fall in love at first sight. Over the course of the play, they meet, fall in love, get married, feel deeply about each other, have some miscommunications, commit some crimes, and ultimately both kill themselves out of grief over their "dead" partner. The play dives into important and relevant ideas like love-at-first-sight, love vs infatuation, age gaps, forbidden love, familial conflict, social norms, and passionate violence. The play wraps up on an optimistic note that the fate of the lovers will bring peace to the city and create lasting change in the community. There is a lot of content in this play that can be interacted with critically from the depictions of characters, to the problems with their society, to various questions about what love is.

Quotes:

1. “NURSE:

   His name is Romeo, and a Montague, The only son of your great enemy.

   JULIET:  

   My only love, sprung from my only hate!

   Too early seen unknown, and known too late!

   Prodigious birth of love it is to me

   That I must love a loathèd enemy.”

2. “JULIET:

   O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

   Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

   Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

   And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”

3. Romeo:

   “How oft when men are at the point of death

   Have they been merry! which their keepers call

   A lightening before death. O, how may I

   Call this a lightening? O my love! my wife!

   Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,

   Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.”

It is the story of an adolescent girl (Naomi), her love interest, her younger siblings, her "dad" and her environment. As the book progresses we learn more details about her situation, including that the father of her younger siblings is a racist and predatory person that has harmed her. Naomi takes care of her siblings as a motherly figure after her mother died giving birth to them. She holds a permanent distrust and bitterness toward her siblings' father because of his past actions. As the story goes on, Naomi gets some normalcy in her life as she meets a boy named Wash who treats her well and does all he can to help her. He is a Black student at a segregated school in early 1900s Texas. They grow closer together as a family unit (Naomi, Wash and Naomi's siblings Beto and Carrie) until a terrible tragedy leaves hundreds of children dead after their school explodes. Wash is blamed for the explosion and his family is lynched. As they attempt to leave the town, the plot becomes increasingly more tragic as the reader recognizes just how ruthlessly wicked racism and sexism were.

This text complements Romeo and Juliet well as it deals with the story of two star crossed lovers and their horrific fate. It raises many questions about social justice, identity, love, trauma, and plenty of other subjects that need to be discussed.

Quotes:

1. "A hand reached down, and for a second Wash saw that sweet face again. Also smooth arms and a long dark braid hanging down over one shoulder" (15)

   1. When they first met, it was like love at first sight with Wash determined to know Naomi

2. "He did not say: I know why it happened. She did not say: Cari died hating me. He did not say: somewhere, there was a heater I did not check. She did not say: I sent them into that building. She reckoned up what a braid and a pair of shoes had cost her. He tried to recall the embrace he'd bought with his unfinished work"

   1. After the tragedy of the school explosion, the narrator describes the tension and guilt that they both felt about their mistakes. Like Romeo and Juliet, they played some role in their own demise.

3. "They walked through that promise together, the Mexico they imagined. They would meet there. And it would be heaven. They were far enough into their dream that neither of them heard the next shot" (383)

   1. Context: Wash has been shot and is bleeding out while Naomi is assaulted. Their fate is settled, but they dream of a better life together because that is all they can do.

This poem is a love sonnet directed toward a woman that is not remarkable in the same ways that women are typically depicted in love sonnets. Shakespeare clashes back agains societal norms of beauty and makes a case for his "mistress" that is plain in appearance, but has inner beauty. This fits in well with the theme of love against the grain by its opposition to the cultural norms and expectations. Despite not being the exact picture of love that other poems had painted, the love described here by Shakespeare stands out as more beautiful.

This short story covers the last interaction between a young, high-school-aged couple before one of them moves away to a different state. It covers the origin of their love for each other and the heartbreak and awkwardness that comes with their looming separation. They seem ready to fight for their relationship, but the audience is left wondering if it will actually last. This fits with the theme of love going against the grain because their circumstances are forcing them apart while they try to hold on by all means.

This text is great for this unit because it tells a story of a relatable experience, with characters of a similar age, and is written by a Black author with Black characters. The theme is relatable to all students, but it is uniquely from a non-White perspective. Lorena Escoto German mentions, "For students of color, it is important to experience stories that open their eyes and mind outside of the often narrow narrative presented about themselves" (TT 73). This is a great story that presents a common experience in a personal and realistic way. Most texts (like Shakespeare) are written by White authors with a White audience in mind. The themes are still relevant universally, so Shakespeare can still be valuable, but this text would be a good complement because it offers a more contemporary and relatable experience.

This video attempts to answer the question of "what is love?" and will appeal to students who have interests in science (great interdisciplinary video). It will be a good text for students to grapple with to see if they agree with everything being presented. It could be a good source to critique or argue for/against. Additionally, Fisher regularly quotes poets and authors who write about love, demonstrating her own interdisciplinary research and its impact.

It also attempts to answer some of the questions about why humans often seek out love over other needs, what about love makes it so chemically addictive, and why some humans are willing to go against all reasoning and societal pressures to pursue love.

This retelling of a tragic story of love and loss in a modern setting using music will fit in nicely with Romeo and Juliet. Students will be excited to get to listen to a popular artist in class (especially since my students are in Hilliard where country music is more popular).

Because of the problematic actions of the protagonist "Jamie" in this song, it will be a good text to critique and use to question if pursuing love to the point of death is worth it.

It fits well with this theme, as it depicts two people kissing with a lot of other questions being left on the table. They both wear masks concealing their entire face and head. Could this be because their love is forbidden? Can they only be together if their identity is concealed? What parallels can be drawn between this and the masquerade in Romeo and Juliet?