'The Wave' by Morton Rhue - Analysing Propaganda, Manipulation & The Power of Language

This advanced, ready-to-teach handout is part of my worksheets, handouts and activities for Morton Rhue’s novel The Wave. It is designed to help students analyse and take a closer look at one of the central concerns of the novel: the power of language, propaganda, and how it can be abused to manipulate groups and individuals. The handout includes:

1. Introduction to the topic (the power of language) within the context of the novel.
2. Activities - based on excerpts from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (as a primary source) and what one of the worst dictators of all time has written about the power of propaganda - to show students various persuasive techniques and propaganda techniques.
3. Follow-on questions for The Wave so that students can connect the cross-curricular historical analysis of the primary source with the novel (this is best donejust after Ben Ross introduces the The Wave experiment)
4. A teacher’s notes section is included, with a lecture-type guide to the activity, that you can use either as a follow-up or to help you get to grips with the complexities of the issues and to teach the unit with optimal preparation.

Enjoy, and please leave feedback!