The Spirit of St. Louis: Charles Lindbergh and Courage
45 min
Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.
- What challenges are you facing?
- What fears or concerns might you have?
- What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?
Observation Questions
- Charles Lindbergh stated, “My early flying seemed an experience beyond mortality. There was the earth spreading out below me, a planet where I had lived but from which I had astonishingly risen.” What does this statement tell you about his identity?
- What was Lindbergh’s purpose in flying across the Atlantic solo?
- Why was Lindbergh willing to risk his life in attempting to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.
- What is the historical context of the narrative?
- What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
- How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
- How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
- How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
- What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
- Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
- How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
- Students will analyze Charles Lindbergh’s courageous actions on the Spirit of St. Louis.
- Students will determine ways in which they can act with courage in their own lives.
- Students will assess the effects of courageous behavior.