“The love of my life” by Sheryl Strayed I would like to start the discussion with the introduction of the author, Sheryl Strayed. Sheryl was born in Pennsylvania in 1968, where she only spent first 5 years of her life, after that the family moved to Minnesota. This is where Sheryl got her education, got married, and resided; until her mother's death from lung cancer in 1991 turned her whole life upside down. This was a pivotal moment, when her life old shattered; so she had to burn all the bridges, and reinvent herself. This was Sheryl's moment of genesis. The essay beautifully captures that moment in all its ugliness. The Essay was published in The Sun in 2002, and was followed by the book Wild, which uncovered the story with even more details, and was adapted for a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. As a part of research for this discussion, I have once
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Sheryl changed her last name from Nyland to Strayed. What do you make of that change? How does that affect you as a reader?
2. Let's discuss the reading responses for that essay. How do you react to Sheryl's honesty from the beginning?
3. Do you hate Sheryl as a person, like, or pity her? What about her as a writer? Is there any difference to you at all?
4. Would you count the first time Sheryl said cheated on her husband to be a true act of cheating?
5. “We aren't supposed to want our mothers that way...” What do you make out of that? Was it sexual? Are there are indications in the text, that can show a special kind of love?
6. What paragraphs show the intensity of the suffering that Sheryl experienced after her mother died?
7. How does the author convey the idea that all her hook-ups were not serious, that they were temporary? Did she still like her husband? Should you still consider that to be cheating?
8. How did Sheryl explain the fact that she could not stop mourning for her mother?
9. What if the essay was written from a male perspective, would your attitude
Sheryl changed her last name from Nyland to Strayed. What do you make of that change? How does that affect you as a reader?
2. Let's discuss the reading responses for that essay. How do you react to Sheryl's honesty from the beginning?
3. Do you hate Sheryl as a person, like, or pity her? What about her as a writer? Is there any difference to you at all?
4. Would you count the first time Sheryl said cheated on her husband to be a true act of cheating?
5. “We aren't supposed to want our mothers that way...” What do you make out of that? Was it sexual? Are there are indications in the text, that can show a special kind of love?
6. What paragraphs show the intensity of the suffering that Sheryl experienced after her mother died?
7. How does the author convey the idea that all her hook-ups were not serious, that they were temporary? Did she still like her husband? Should you still consider that to be cheating?
8. How did Sheryl explain the fact that she could not stop mourning for her mother?
9. What if the essay was written from a male perspective, would your attitude