The Melancholy of Resistance

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-melancholy-of-resistance

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote The Melancholy of Resistance?Hungarian
2. What is the literary genre?Novel
3. What is the year of original publication?1989
4. What is "The Melancholy of Resistance" about?It is a novel about a town that feels sad and a strange circus that arrives with a huge whale. The whale makes the town feel even more stuck.
5. Why does the whale in the circus matter?The whale is very big and strange, and it shows how big the town's problems are. It makes everyone feel trapped.

Existential Dread: A feeling of anxiety stemming from the perceived meaninglessness of existence.
Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Societal Malaise: A general feeling of discontent, unease, or dissatisfaction within a society.
Incongruity: The state of being out of place or not fitting in with its surroundings.