The Dry

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Where is Melbourne, Australia? What is drought, and what are the consequences of drought in Australia?

• Look at a map of Victoria, Australia, and locate Melbourne.
• Aside from the loss of crops, what are some of the struggles Australians face during times of drought?
• Explain El Niño and La Niña and the effects they have on the continent of Australia.
• Explain how this information is connected to the theme of The Physical and Mental Effects of Drought.

Teaching Suggestion: The Dry is set in Victoria, Australia, in a fictional town five hours outside of Melbourne during a severe drought. Understanding the geographical context of the novel will be important for students to grasp the implications of some of the novel’s symbols. Consider exploring each link and asking the question that is paired with it, or allow students to explore these articles or other outside resources on their own and discuss the questions afterward.

• This Google Maps link identifies Melbourne, Australia.
• This article about previous droughts details some of the consequences of drought for Australians.
• This brief video explains the phenomenon of El Niño and La Niña and the impact it has on Australia’s weather patterns.

2. What are the physical and psychological impacts of drought? What is the psychological impact of droughts in rural communities compared to that in urban communities?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivities to mental health and suicide, consider exploring the two resources and allowing students to discuss the influence of droughts on mental health. In the novel, Luke is said to have murdered his family in rural Australia due to the psychological consequences of drought.

• The article from Yale University’s Environment Review discusses the psychological impact of drought.
• This article from the science news magazine Eos explores the long-term effects of drought on mental health in rural communities.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Describe a time when events disturbed the peace of a community that you are a part of. These events could be international, national, or local. Describe whether the event occurred due to natural causes or some other kind of tragic event. Explain how you and those around you dealt with the psychological impact of the event and how the event continues to have an impact on you today. Then discuss how the event or your response to it connects to the theme of Choices and Consequences.

Teaching Suggestion: The drought and the murder of Luke’s family have a great impact on the community. Despite the tragedy, many in the community fail to show sympathy for Luke’s family because Luke is believed to have murdered his family. Much of the novel explores the social impact of living in a small, isolated community under the influence of biases and suspected guilt. Consider guiding students to consider the social impact of droughts and other natural disasters, or to connect crime and other experiences to the theme of Secrets, Lies, and Mistrust in an Intimate Community.

Differentiation Suggestion: Consider allowing students who require an additional challenge to research a specific event that had a global impact. Then ask the students to research the psychological effects of people around the world in response to the event and share their findings briefly with the class.