1. The Bible as Literature Essential Question: How does understanding ancient texts shape the meaning of other pieces of literature?

2. Why study the Bible as literature? What is literature? – Portrays the human experience – Interprets the human experience – It’s an art form. How is the Bible literature? – Religious text (narratives) – Historical text – Collection of songs and poetry Why is it still important? – Cultural Literacy. What is it?

3. Cain and Abel Read the story as a table. You will need a reader(s)(someone to read the story), a scribe (to write down the answers), and reporter (to report the answers). Answer the following questions using evidence from the text: Does the story of Cain and Abel portray human experience? How does the author interpret human experience? Does the story have an artistic style?

4. Reflection Read the poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phyllis Wheatley How does understanding the story of Cain influence your reading of the poem? Why does the speaker reference the story?