Read the Prereading information on page 873. Discuss common symbols you have encountered in paintings, photographs, and literary works. Then, discuss symbols that are often related to good and evil. Make a list of such symbols.
1. View the painting on page 875 and discuss how your knowledge can be applied to the painting. Write a few paragraphs about the connections you can make to symbols in the painting.
2. Read the text on page 874. How do the curator’s ideas about the iconography compare and contrast to your own? Write a paragraph noting the similarities and differences.
If you have difficulty connecting to prior knowledge, take a break from the reading and view the painting, noting all of the details. Record a description of the details and then think about your prior knowledge of symbols. Then, write a few paragraphs connecting the details to your knowledge of symbols.
When you finish with the selection, analyze the connections you made. In a brief essay, discuss how the symbols in the painting would be interpreted today. Are they the same as in the painting’s time period? When finished, share your essay with a partner.