They Both Die at the End

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Start with the End”

One hallmark of Greek tragedy is the inclusion of fate. Achilles of The Iliad knows that he will either live a short but glorious life or a long but boring one. The title of Adam Silvera’s novel immediately tells readers that both of the main characters will die at the end, so readers begin with this knowledge as they follow the characters through their End Day.

• Start by taking out a sheet of paper. Choose a movie or book that you’ve seen or read more than once. Take five minutes and answer the following questions:
• How was the second viewing/reading different from the first?
• What effect did knowing the ending have on your experience of the story?
• What effect does knowing the ending have on your first read-through of a story like They Both Die at the End?
• Come back together as a class and share your answers. Take a vote: Is it better to know the ending or not?
• Then, think about whether you would feel similarly about knowing about your own death ahead of time. Discuss this with the rest of the class.

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to consider that an author’s choice to disclose the ending in advance can affect their reading experience. What is different about approaching a work with the ending at the beginning?

Paired Text Extension

Read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and compare and contrast it to They Both Die at the End. In both novels, readers know in advance that the main characters will die. Think about the following questions and discuss as a class:

• How were these novels similar and different?
• How was death almost like a character?
• How did They Both Die at the End echo some of this Greek tradition of myth? How did The Song of Achilles reflect contemporary concerns with connection and isolation between individuals?
• How did both novels highlight LGBTQ+ characters?

Teaching Suggestion: The retelling of the legend of Achilles is similar to its original form; however, Miller portrays Achilles and Patroclus as in a relationship. You can discuss how this reveals an effort to incorporate LGBTQ+ stories into mainstream fiction.

ACTIVITY 2: “Death-Cast: Yes or No”

Imagine reading They Both Die at the End as a tale about Death-Cast and ponder this question: Should a company like Death-Cast be allowed to exist if we attain the technology to predict someone’s death?

Split into two groups. One group should prepare for a debate to argue for the company's existence. The other should prepare to argue for the opposite. Take 20 minutes and use evidence from the text to support your side. Try to come up with three arguments for each side.

Then, with your teacher as moderator, use the following structure for your debate:

• Each side should begin with opening statements of five minutes, beginning with the pro-Death-Cast side.
• The other side can ask any clarifying questions afterwards.
• Then, the pro-Death-Cast team should make a statement arguing against the anti-Death-Cast team’s points. Teams should then switch.
• Each of these statements can take up to 3 minutes.
• Finally, the pro-team makes final remarks for three minutes, followed by the anti-team.

The teacher should make the final ruling.

Teaching Suggestion: Alternatively, students could present this debate to students in another class, and the activity could be conducted over two class periods, giving each side more time to do research. If an audience is available, allow them to vote on which side they feel performed best in addition to how convinced they were by each side’s argument.