The Heart's Invisible Furies

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. How would you describe or characterize life in 20th-21st century Ireland, specifically from the post-war period until the early 2000s? What kinds of social changes and cultural shifts took place during that time?

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to create a foundation for the context of the novel by having a discussion around the post-war period in Ireland. Students with less knowledge of Ireland itself can still draw on their familiarity with the time period, the implications of the end of World War II, and how societies across the world viewed issues such as women’s rights and gay rights during this period.

• This History Today article details how the waning influence of Catholicism led to the secularization of Irish views on topics such as abortion, homosexuality, and birth control.
• This collection of photographs shows the evolution of Dublin, Ireland’s capital, across the decades.

2. Now that you know more about life and social change in Ireland through the 20th century, compare and contrast the major social changes in Ireland with those of another country over the same time period.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may choose any country to compare the changes and when they took place. They may find that social changes that addressed various issues tended to take place in different countries around the same time; for example, the second wave feminist movement and LGBT+ movement of the 1970s in the United States coincided with the feminist and LGBT+ movements in Ireland of the same time period.

• This scholarly article from Sage Journals details the ways in which college/university students contributed to social change for gay people in Ireland. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing due to length.)
• This article from InterExchange describes major social movements in 20th century United States as a possible starting point for discussion.

Short Activity

Create a political cartoon or poster about an issue that matters to you. Be creative in your approach and ensure that your cartoon or poster is clear about the issue it addresses. Plan to share your small project with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: To connect to the idea of social movements and change, students can use this activity to think about an issue that matters to them personally. While reading the novel, they may then find it easier to connect to Cyril, whether they fully understand his experiences or not.

• “2023 Political Cartoons” is an article providing various political cartoons from 2023 that can be used as examples if needed.
• “10 Pivotal Political Posters” is another article with examples of political posters.

Differentiation Suggestion: Before or after their presentation, students who lean more toward kinesthetic learning can choose to act out a short skit or choreograph a dance that communicates the social issue that matters to them.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

The Heart’s Invisible Furies features several instances of violence against people based on their sexuality. Have you ever been bullied or attacked for something you cannot change, or has it happened to someone you know? What do you think it takes to change harmful beliefs in people?

Teaching Suggestion: Answering this question may prove to be a sensitive process, so it is recommended that this prompt be used for free-writing or reflection homework rather than an open discussion. However, students can be given the choice to have a discussion if they would prefer. Discussing hate violence prior to reading the novel may help to emotionally prepare students for Cyril’s story.

• “Report a Hate Crime” is a  helpful resource from the US Department of Justice for students who are victims of hate crimes or who witness one.
• “Getting Immediate Help” is a collection of resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for finding immediate support in a mental health crisis.