The speaker in Don't Let Me Be Lonely is multifaceted, but for the purpose of clarity and concision, is referred to by the pronoun "she" in this Lesson Plan. The teacher may wish to discuss this with students, explaining that the poem's speaker should not be confused with Rankine herself.
Don't Let Me Be Lonely is genre-defying and difficult to categorize, therefore the work as a whole is referred to as "the book" in this Lesson Plan.
This work contains references to racially motivated violence, depression, suicide, death, and psychiatric medication. There are also extended discussions of the 9/11 attacks. The teacher should be aware of students' sensitivities and needs and should...
