“Initiation”
Questions
Comprehension Check
● What tasks did Millicent have to perform as part of the hazing process?
● Why wasn’t Millicent’s friend Tracy asked to join the sorority?
● What happens on the bus that helps Millicent make her decision?
Connect to Literature
1. What do you think of Millicent at the end of the story? Support your opinion.
Think Critically
2. What is Millicent’s motivation for not joining the sorority? Explain making references to the following:
● her relationships with Tracy and Bev
● the tasks required of her during initiation week
● what she finds out about being in a sorority
● the effect of her conversation with the older man on the bus
3. Do you think Herb will have any interest in Millicent when she is not in the sorority? Why or why not?
4. Explain the meaning of the last sentence in the story? Be sure to reference and make connections to events from the story to help explain your answer.
Extend Interpretations
6. What If? Imagine that Millicent had joined the sorority with the belief that she could persuade the others to invite Tracy to join. What would this have suggested about Millicent’s character?
7. Connect to Life “Initiation” takes place in the early 1950s. Do you think this story is dated, or does its theme, or message, still apply today? Explain your reasoning.
Online text: Google – Sylvia Plath Initiation Full Text pdf – the first link provides a PDF file of the text.
“Initiation”
Questions
Comprehension Check
● What tasks did Millicent have to perform as part of the hazing process?
● Why wasn’t Millicent’s friend Tracy asked to join the sorority?
● What happens on the bus that helps Millicent make her decision?
Connect to Literature
1. What do you think of Millicent at the end of the story? Support your opinion.
Think Critically
2. What is Millicent’s motivation for not joining the sorority? Explain making references to the following:
● her relationships with Tracy and Bev
● the tasks required of her during initiation week
● what she finds out about being in a sorority
● the effect of her conversation with the older man on the bus
3. Do you think Herb will have any interest in Millicent when she is not in the sorority? Why or why not?
4. Explain the meaning of the last sentence in the story? Be sure to reference and make connections to events from the story to help explain your answer.
Extend Interpretations
6. What If? Imagine that Millicent had joined the sorority with the belief that she could persuade the others to invite Tracy to join. What would this have suggested about Millicent’s character?
7. Connect to Life “Initiation” takes place in the early 1950s. Do you think this story is dated, or does its theme, or message, still apply today? Explain your reasoning.
Online text: Google – Sylvia Plath Initiation Full Text pdf – the first link provides a PDF file of the text.