Over the course of Divergent, Tris and other characters grapple with what they owe themselves and what they owe the larger community. What does the novel say about which is more important: the individual or the group?

Teaching Suggestion: Rereading key scenes in the book that emphasize this dilemma and either freewriting or discussing the scenes in small groups first can guide students to use evidence from the novel to support their points. Incorporating counterarguments can increase the rigor of the discussion. (Examples: “While the group is important in society’s goals, the individual’s rights should never be violated…” OR “Despite the importance of each person’s rights, the good of the community must be foremost…”.)

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who benefit from additional challenges, researching current events that apply to this dilemma can add rigor. They can also create a comparison matrix to identify criteria to use to consider this question, then explain how different scenes in Divergent fit or do not fit each criteria. They could also conduct a debate on the issue.