The Elephant Man

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.

DEBATE: “Does The Elephant Man take a position in the Science Versus Religion debate?”

In this activity, students will argue for or against the assertion that The Elephant Man takes a definitive position in the debate between Science Versus Religion.

Throughout the play, different characters make arguments for the polemic debate of scientific prowess versus religious faith. Using the text as well as your own research, you will argue either for or against the following assertion: The Elephant Man takes a definitive position in the debate between Science Versus Religion. Working with your classmates, you will develop an argument that supports your point of view. Be sure to include opening and closing statements, as well as rebuttals, and rehearse your argument with your group at least once prior to the in-class debate. Finally, participate in a post-debate class discussion in which you analyze and reflect on each team’s argumentative approaches.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity invites students to apply their analytical and debate skills to the text’s themes of Dehumanization Through “Freakishness” and “Normalcy,” Science Versus Religion, and Imperialism and Western Self-Superiority. Students may use assertions from the text as well as their own research on the subject. This teacher-facing resource from Harvard University provides guidance on facilitating in-class debates.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an Activity with a writing component, the above exercise may be amended to the following: “Write an argumentative essay in which you answer the following prompt: Does The Elephant Man take a definitive position in the debate between Science Versus Religion? If so, then what is this play’s stance? If not, then how is the position ambiguous? Be sure to support your argument with a clear thesis statement as well as citations from the play.”

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. “Freak shows,” also referred to as “human curiosities,” were a popular form of entertainment during the British Victorian Era.

• What was the purpose of these shows? Who was being viewed by whom, and why? (topic sentence)
• How does Merrick’s story provide an example to the popularity of the “human curiosity” movement during this time period?
• In your concluding sentences, discuss how Merrick’s story demonstrates the exploitation that individuals were forced to experience regarding Dehumanization Through “Freakishness” and “Normalcy.”

2. In the latter half of the play, Merrick begins to build a model of St. Philip’s Church.

• Consider what the model church represents. How are the moments in which Merrick builds the church related to his own character progression? (topic sentence)
• Select and analyze 2-3 moments in the text that demonstrate Merrick’s character progression.
• In your concluding sentences, reflect on how the progression of building this model connects with the theme of Science Versus Religion.

3. Consider the effects of the British Empire on those living in the metropole during the Victorian Era.

• What argument does Pomerance make about imperialism and its value for people living in the metropole? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples from the play to analyze and use for substantiating your answer.
• How does Pomerance’s point of view speak to the larger theme of Imperialism and Western Self-Superiority?

Full Essay Assignments

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

1. The Elephant Man has been revived several times for the stage and adapted to various films. Imagine that you are producing the play now in your community. What are some of the positives of reviving this play in contemporary society? Do you think the play’s messages are still relevant? Why or why not? Is there anything about the play that would need to be changed? Explain.

2. Consider the way that disability is presented in the acting of the play. What are some of the key stage directions? Why do you think these choices are made in relation to the central themes of the play, as well as the theatrical production itself?

3. At the end of the play, the three women from the “freak show” at the Belgium fair show up to help Merrick die. Why do you think Pomerance made the choice to include them in the final scene? How are these women different in Merrick’s death scene as opposed to their earlier scene at the fair?

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

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following Brechtian theatrical techniques does Pomerance use in his play?

A) Alienation effect

B) Breaking the fourth wall

C) Biblical allusions

D) Wartime setting

2. Which of the following stage directions would Pomerance agree with?

A) Only having men speak lines

B) Alternating between flashbacks and flashforwards

C) Having no set design other than lighting

D) Not adding prosthetic makeup to the actor playing Merrick

3. Which of the following elements of the script indicate playwright Brecht’s influence on Pomerance?

A) The casting of all male actors

B) The names of the scenes

C) The setting of London

D) The time period of the Victorian Era

4. As Treves walks by the storefront on Whitechapel Road, Ross proclaims, “See Mother Nature uncorseted and in malignant rage! Tuppence” (Scene 2). Which of the following literary terms does Treves use in this quote?

A) Allegory

B) Irony

C) Personification

D) Simile

5. Which of the following words best describe how the policeman and the conductor treat Merrick on his way back from Belgium?

A) With interest

B) With mockery

C) With compassion

D) With delight

6. Which of the following plays are discussed at length in The Elephant Man?

A) A Midsummer Night’s Dream

B) The Caucasian Chalk Circle

C) Romeo and Juliet

D) Threepenny Opera

7. Which of the following statements is true about Merrick’s relationship with others in the second half of the play?

A) People like him less the more they get to know him.

B) He is extremely judgmental of all foreigners.

C) People see qualities of themselves in him.

D) He is very open only with men.

8. How do the majority of the scenes finish in the second half of the play?

A) With Gomm crying

B) With Mrs. Kendal making an appointment

C) With Treves asking other people for money

D) With Merrick adding another piece to the model

9. What advice does Ross give Merrick?

A) To abandon his hobby of the model

B) To capitalize monetarily from people’s visits

C) To ignore all outsiders’ requests for money

D) To marry Mrs. Kendal

10. Which of the following words best describes the contexts of Scenes 17 and 18?

A) Flashbacks

B) Premonitions

C) Dreams

D) Flashforwards

11. What natural environment does Treves compare the concept of control to?

A) A garden

B) A mountain

C) A wildfire

D) An island

12. How do the Bishop and Gomm respond to Treves’s monologue regarding science at the end of the play?

A) They cannot understand his words.

B) They wholeheartedly agree with his sentiment.

C) They pity his atheistic viewpoint.

D) They share their sympathies in the state of Merrick’s soul.

13. Which of the following aspects does Treves try to control of Merrick?

A) His hobbies

B) His sexuality

C) His reading material

D) His education

14. Which of the following objects does Treves believe that many characters see Merrick as?

A) A door to the future

B) A mirror to themselves

C) A model of religion

D) A song of delight

15. Which of the following statements is mostly true about Merrick’s companions?

A) They mostly use him for their own personal gain.

B) They are continually disgusted by him until the end of the play.

C) They are primarily focused on helping find a cure for his disease.

D) They are ashamed of the social standards of the Victorian Era.

Long Answer

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

1. How is the play structured? What is the setting and the timeline of the play?

2. Select one scene title and examine how it relates to its content.