Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand
Envelope Activity
We are about to embark on something new. This “something” is affectionately known as “envelope
activities” amongst the professionals who participate on the CollegeBoard’s listserv. After reading much
about it, and looking at many that have been created for other novels, we are going to attempt it on the
non-fiction account of Seabiscuit, written by Laura Hillenbrand.
Goals of an Envelope Activity: To sharpen our close reading skills in order to write more effective,
analytical essays and to gain a greater understanding of how writing truly does affect how a novel is
enjoyed and read.
What to Do:
1. You will be given an envelope with a very focused, thematic topic listed.
2. As you read Seabiscuit, you are to write down any quotation or passage you find that could relate
to your focus.
a. Each passage needs to be written on a SEPARATE notecard, slip of paper, etc…
b. Each passage also NEEDS TO BE DOCUMENTED with the following information: page
number/chapter/speaker if it’s a quote.
3. Be prepared to discuss and/or share your quote at varying points between now and the date
Seabiscuit is to be finished.
a. Reading Checks: Feb. 22 and Feb. 28
b. Novel Due: March 7
c. (These are days immediately after the weekend and a check so that I can determine forward
progress.)
Tidbits of Advice:
 For each topic, you are to select quotes or passages that have the potential to help you write an
essay or complete some other assignment regarding it.
 Be prepared to state why you chose the quotes/passages to support your topic and HOW that
quote or passage COULD affect the meaning of the work as a whole.
 There is an even balance of how many quotes you should have. You will NOT be told how many
to have. You need “enough” – enough to be able to support an essay, enough to be able to argue
for or against your topic, enough to say there is proof THROUGHOUT the book.
Topics:
1. Love and the value of friendship
2. Consequences of poverty – outside of the obvious
3. Self-improvement – MAKING us into who we are – not accepting our given circumstances
4. American Dream – a place where anything can happen and any idea can be achieved
5. Rewards of Sacrifice? Giving up your “valuables” to achieve something great
6. Unconventional Courage or Heroism in acts both big and small
7. Your Past Defines You – Can you escape it? How does it make you who you are today?
8. Need for Compassion and Forgiveness – proof that it benefits all
9. Opposites Attract: Winning and Losing; Hope and Despair – one brings about the other
10. Honor – your beliefs and actions reveal more than your words