Development Unit: The Warmth of Other Suns
In The Warmth of Other Suns, Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson crafts a history of the Great Migration. Through analyzing her work and a series of related literary and informational texts, we will explore the following question: How do we construct the story of a complicated history? We will examine the push-and-pull factors of the Great Migration caused by the social and political climate in the United States in the aftermath of slavery as well as the immediate and long-term impacts of the decision to migrate. We will also explore the ways in which writers and artists have represented aspects of this time period and will analyze in depth Wilkerson’s use of various voices, stories, and outside texts to convey the complexity of this history. Our work will culminate with an expository essay that examines the significance and impact of Wilkerson’s approach to structure as she constructs and tells the story of the Great Migration in The Warmth of Other Suns.