DAWN - WEEK THREE: CONFLICT AND THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY

43

Pages 1-

Note: the idea of controlling the identity we project might require some explanation, though
perhaps it sounds more complex than what it really is. All of us, in our daily lives, attempt to
control how others see us through what we say, how we talk, how we walk, etc.
Besides looking at how we do this, for our discussion this week and during your reading, think
about how conflict between people often comes from times when the identity you are attempting
to project to other people gets questioned.
Here is an example: An English teacher spells a word on the black board incorrectly, a student
points it out, and the teacher becomes sour and nasty towards that student. In this case,
the teacher is busy trying to project an identity based on skill with the English language
and because the student questioned that identity, the teacher reacts strongly.
This week you are going to be looking at the idea of how conflicts often originate
over issues of identity. For instance, we will be looking at how Elisha would like to be
seen one way, but others see him as something else. In other words, he does not
feel like he is in control of his own identity.
QUESTIONS:
Elisha feels that The tragedy of many is that he doesnt know how to
distinguish between day and night. He says things at night that should only be said
by day (5). While there are many ways to interpret this, one way to understand this
idea is to think about how we are often are most truthful with ourselves (and others)
when it is harder for others to see us and judge us.
In other words, there is less judgement of us at night, when not as many people
can see, and therefore judge, what we are doing. Elisha is saying, therefore, that
one problem people have is that they say and do things privately that should be
said and done during the day, when others can see, hear, and judge it.
1. Do you agree with him? Do you agree that we sometimes say and do things
when nobody is looking that we wouldnt do if everybody were looking? Do
you have an example of this? Do you think judgement can be a useful thing?
In what ways? In what ways can judgement also be a negative thing?
2. On pages 8 and 9, we see the identity the world has given the Jewish people.
In what way can what Elisha is going to do be seen as an attempt to change
this identity the world has given Jewish people?
3. On pages 14-15, Gad convinces Elisha to join the movement. What sort of an
identity is he offering to Elisha? Why do you think this would be so appealing
to Elisha?
4. On page 20, Gad makes an argument about how they are not murderers. Do
you agree with his argument? Why or why not?
5. What is a quotation between pages 22-26 that strongly suggests Elisha is no
longer comfortable with the identity he has been given?
6. On page 30, Elisha explains why Gad was so successful in persuading him.
What does this suggest about how to manipulate someone else? In other

words, what causes people to have a less developed sense of identity and
self?
7. In what way can Elishas arguments, and emotions, concerning why a dead
man should not want to eat be seen as an attempt to control his own
identity? How does he want to see himself? How does the person he will kill
wanting to eat challenge this identity Elisha wishes to believe in?
8. After reading the section with Catherine, think about how Elishas
understanding of her saying poor boy has changed. Why do you think he
turned away from her and ran away when he realised she was speaking about
him?
6. Questions about yourself:
(a) In what way can conflicts you have had with others be understood as a struggle to maintain
control over the image you wish to project?
(b) Why is it important to you to project this particular idea of yourself?
(c) Why do you think the people you had a conflict with didnt believe in the image you wanted
them to see?
(d) In what ways could understanding conflict as a result of struggling for control of your identity
be a helpful (or unhelpful) understanding to have?

Blog Entry 3: In what way are the conflicts Elisha has a result of others trying to
control his identity and his refusal to let them do this? Take a conflict that you have
had and explain how it the heart of this conflict is actually about a battle for control
of your (and the other persons) identity.

DAWN - WEEK FOUR: SOCIAL MEDIA, ISOLATION AND ALIENATION Pages

44-81
.
QUESTIONS
1. In what way could all the ghosts in the room with Elisha be compared to our
lives with social media?
2. When you get to the page where Elisha says, We were both silent. And the
crowd behind me, the crowd of petrified silences, whose shadows absorbed
the light and turned it into something sad, funereal, hostile, was silent as
well. The sum of these silences filled me with fear. Their silences were
different from mine; they were hard, cold, immobile, lifeless, incapable of
change, think about the following: In what ways does silence make us feel
judged and fearful?
3. Before going to see John Dawson, Elisha says The beggar took my head in
his hands and looked into my eyes. His look was so powerful that for a
moment I doubted my identity. I am that look, I said to myself. What else
could I be? (64). In what way are our identities also based on what others
see of us? Is it possible to lose your sense of identity because we worry about
how others perceive us? Explain your answer.
4. Read Elishas explanation to John Dawson about why he is trying to hate him.
How does Elishas need to hate John Dawson suggest he cares more about
how he looks to others than about how he feels about himself?

Blog Entry 4: In what way(s) were you successful and/or unsuccessful with the
social media challenge? If you were unsuccessful, why was it difficult for you?
What sorts of things do you do with social media that are so hard to stop? If you
were successful, why do you think you were able to give it up? What did you do
to replace the time you spend on social media? How can you connect your
experience to what Elisha experiences in the novel?