1. Compare the homespun philosophy of this play to Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. Note similar attitudes toward death.
2. Compare Emily’s response to reliving her twelfth birthday with Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem “God’s World ”.
3. Create a town roll of citizens, giving details about every person mentioned in the play.
4. Discover why William Jennings Bryan was a popular speaker in his day. Cite homespun philosophy from his speeches that compares with the comments of Mr. Webb and the Stage Manager.
5. Analyze the lyrics of “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds ” Explain why the hymn is appropriate to both weddings and funerals.
6. Contrast Simon Stimson’s fate with that of the title character of Robert Frost’s poem “The Death of the Hired Man ” Or compare Simon Stimson’s life with that of the title characters in two of E. A. Robinson’s poems, “Richard Cory” and “Mr. Flood’s Party ”.
