Acceleration

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.

Acceleration, Investigative Journalism, and Duncan’s Search for Truth

In this activity, it’s the students’ turn to research a mystery in their own community. Emulating amateur sleuths like Duncan, students will gain a real-world understanding of what goes into writing investigative journalism. In doing so, they will also get a deeper understanding of Duncan and the other characters in Acceleration

Throughout Acceleration, Duncan is obsessed with finding the truth behind the journal—who wrote it, what it means, and how he can play a role in making sure that no harm befalls the women in his community.

In their book Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist’s Guide to Investigative Reporting, journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey teach enterprising students how to embark on investigative journalistic projects of their own. In this exercise, you will view Acceleration through the lens of Chasing the Truth, and write a piece of your own investigative journalism. Breaking into small groups, go about the following:

• First, read an excerpt from Chapter One of Chasing the Truth.
• Next, go through the 10 questions outlined in the article, all of which will help you gain a deeper grasp on the nature of “investigative journalism.” The authors use the #MeToo case as their primary example.
• Lastly, brainstorm a local mystery that you might want to investigate further. (Students can look through their local newspapers to find subjects that pique their interest.) Given time constraints, students are not expected to dive too deeply into the research, but they should, as a group, come up with the following: (1) A list of questions that they have about the topic, (2) A list of the players involved in the case, and (3) a list of three “next steps” they would take and three witnesses or subjects they would interview if they had more time.

As a final step, students will present their projects to the larger class, and discuss any common themes or topics that each of their projects have in common.

Teaching Suggestion: Throughout the exercise, ask students guiding questions that will relate their nonfiction investigative journalism back to the characters, themes, and motifs found in Acceleration. For example, how would Duncan have reacted to Chapter One of Chasing the Truth? What lessons could Duncan have used, as gleaned from Chasing the Truth, that would have helped him in his investigation? Does Chasing the Truth deal with how, like Duncan, you may learn something about yourself as you go about researching your case?

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 title of the book, Acceleration, has multiple layers of meaning.

• What is the significance of the book’s title? (topic sentence)
• What does it mean in a literal sense, and how does it apply to Duncan’s trauma?
• In your conclusion, explore how Acceleration and Imprisonment have both literal and metaphorical meanings throughout the book.

2. Prisons appear in many forms, both literal and symbolically, throughout Acceleration.

• What are some examples of the various forms prisons take throughout the book? (topic sentence)
• Using 2-3 characters in your response, how do prisons apply differently to the various characters?
• In your conclusion, describe how prisons are a physical manifestation of the book’s themes surrounding Acceleration and Imprisonment.

3. Mothers play an important role throughout the book.

• Why does Duncan’s mother’s opinion matter so much to him? (topic sentence)
• How does Duncan’s dynamic with his mother mirror (or contrast with) that of Roach and his mother?
• In your conclusion, describe how the figures of both Duncan’s mother and Roach’s mother show how parenting—particularly bad parenting—can reinforce Cycles of Poverty and Violence.

Full Essay Assignments

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

1. Duncan describes himself as a “basket case” in his message to Kim in Chapter 19. Why does he see himself in this way? What does this say about Duncan in terms of his self-awareness? How does Duncan view himself as the novel progresses? In your conclusion, explore how Duncan’s own self-perception is deeply influenced by Guilt.

2. Why does Duncan enjoy seeing the scratch on the man’s putter in Chapter 8? Do you think that the Duncan at the end of the novel would feel the same way? Why or why not? In your conclusion, assess how Second Chances transform Duncan’s character, causing him to have a shift in worldview by the end of the novel.

3. In Chapter 25, Duncan and his family sit around their home, eating pizza and watching baseball on TV. Why does Duncan find this mundane family scene so satisfying? Why do you think the author included this seemingly dull scene? In your conclusion, explain how this scene speaks to the level of suffering and inner turmoil that plague Duncan throughout the novel due to his extreme Guilt.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following best describes how, in a metaphorical sense, many of the characters in the novel deal with Imprisonment?

A) Certain characters literally find themselves in prison and/or jail for their misdeeds.

B) The primary characters make choices that influence the rest of their lives, thus forcing them into a certain trajectory.

C) Many characters are “imprisoned” by the idea that they’re “bad” or “guilty,” and they cannot move past it.

D) Several characters are subjected to stereotyping by other people, which confines them to those people’s skewed vision.

2. Which of the following statements best describes how Duncan and Wayne are alike?

A) They both have a propensity for victimless crimes, like theft.

B) They both have abusive mothers.

C) They both love to read, especially the diaries/journals of celebrities.

D) They both have abusive fathers.

3. In the first chapters of the book, why might the reader think that Duncan is an “unreliable narrator”?

A) Because his family has a history with schizophrenia

B) Because he’s so young

C) Because he mentions that has a rare neurological condition that causes memory issues

D) Because of his generally dark worldview, which includes occasional paranoia

4. The Jungle, also known as “Welfare Towers,” is Duncan’s neighborhood, but it’s also a symbol of what?

A) The wild nature of Toronto

B) The inner turmoil of Duncan’s depression

C) The constant fight for survival caused by poverty

D) The unknown territory that Duncan faces post-high school

5. How does the figure of Maya connect to the theme of Second Chances?

A) Maya gave Duncan a second chance at love just before she died, which always stuck with him.

B) Maya is the daughter of a reformed drug addict, who taught her all about what it means to have a new lease on life.

C) Duncan’s inability to save Maya inspires him to save Roach’s intended victims.

D) Maya is the only victim that Roach ever set free.

6. Which of the following best describes Duncan’s father’s attitude toward Duncan?

A) They antagonize one another, because both feel self-loathing.

B) They are rivals in that they both want to be the “hero” of the story.

C) Duncan’s father cannot see Duncan as anything but a little boy.

D) Duncan’s father wishes for Duncan to have a better life than his.

7. When Duncan presents Roach’s journal to the 52nd police precinct, how do the police respond to the journal?

A) They regard it primarily with indifference, as merely the ramblings of a chaotic person.

B) They regard it with suspicion, because they have been on the lookout for a murderer.

C) They regard it with weary recognition, because they see this type of thing all the time.

D) They regard it as a top priority and agree to help Duncan find the journal’s owner.

8. Which of the following phrases best describes Duncan’s worldview at the end of the novel?

A) Irrevocably pessimistic

B) Cautiously optimistic

C) Numb and detached

D) Exuberantly joyful

9. Which of the following characters receive Absolution over the course of the novel?

A) Duncan and Wayne

B) Duncan, Wayne, and Kim

C) Wayne only

D) Duncan only

10. What helps Duncan relate to Roach’s own pre-programming for failure, due to his abusive and traumatic child?

A) His own abusive relationship with his grandmother

B) Growing up in poverty in The Jungle

C) The neglect he felt at school, from being ignored by his teachers

D) The traumatic experience of accidentally killing a small bird

11. Why does Duncan nickname the author of the journal “Roach”?

A) Because, like a cockroach, he’s fast

B) Because, like a cockroach, he comes out at night

C) Because, like a cockroach, he feeds on garbage

D) Because, like a cockroach, he’s hard to kill

12. When Duncan attempts (but fails) to leave a voice message for Kim in Chapter 19, how does this foreshadow what will ultimately happen with their relationship?

A) This moment foreshadows Kim’s reentry into Duncan’s life.

B) This moment foreshadows the fact that Kim will always be unreachable.

C) This moment foreshadows the way that they’ll primarily communicate via the telephone in the years ahead.

D) This moment foreshadows how Duncan’s voice will be “lost” when he takes a vow of silence after Roach’s death.

13. What is the disturbing subtext in Chapter 25 when Duncan recalls memories of past fishing trips with his father?

A) uncan’s father would torture the fish before releasing them, similar to Roach.

B) Duncan considers himself a goner, just like the fish he and his father caught.

C) Duncan noticed a strange man on the shoreside during these trips, which likely was Roach.

D) Duncan took pride in fishing, implying that he might be a killer in his own right.

14. Which character is the most fitting embodiment of the term “acceleration”?

A) Duncan

B) Roach

C) Wayne

D) Duncan’s father

15. In Chapter 34, when Duncan emerges from underwater in the public pool, which of the following words best represents his inner state?

A) Fear

B) Self-loathing

C) Calm

D) Ecstasy

Long Answer

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

1. Why does Kim break up with Duncan? In your response, connect Kim’s reasoning to the theme of Imprisonment.

2. How does Duncan’s final conversation with Kim strip away the illusion that he is not worth loving?