8/10/22, 7:54 PM
PBS LearningMedia
The Left Hand of Darkness and Gender Fluidity | Ursula K. Le Guin
Discussion Questions
Comprehension Questions
What questions did Le Guin ask herself before writing The Left Hand of Darkness? How did she build that question into
the premise of the book?
How does gender shift for the people in The Left Hand of Darkness?
Why was The Left Hand of Darkness controversial? Why do some consider it a feminist text and others believe Le Guin
didn’t go far enough?
Why is it significant that the default pronoun of characters in the book is “he”? Do you think The Left Hand of Darkness
could be seen as more inclusive today if the default pronoun was changed to “they”?
Explain the metaphor Le Guin uses to describe her job as an author to be holding open doors and windows.
Critical Thinking Questions
Why is it important to consider the time period in which a book was written? How does that impact our understanding
of the book?
Concepts of gender have evolved over time beyond just male and female, making pronouns an increasingly important
part of identity. Many people share their chosen pronoun after introducing themselves or on name tags. Do you think
our modern ideas around gender will continue to evolve? How could pronoun options - he, she, ze, they – be even more
inclusive? Do we even need gender pronouns?
Reprinted from PBS LearningMedia: The Left Hand of Darkness and Gender Fluidity | Ursula K. Le Guin
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/uklg19-ela-lefthand-video/ursula-le-guin/
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https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/print_support_material/151884/207505/
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