The House of the Scorpion, Contemplating Human Cloning, For Educators

Educators, THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION provides a valuable and sensitive context for a discussion on genetics and cloning. To begin the journey, read the novel alongside your student(s). Next, discuss the science. There are a number of kid-friendly articles on cloning, I liked this one from Science News For Students

Finally, with an understanding of what cloning is, dig deep into the human story presented by Nancy Farmer in her deftly written account of a boy clone, Matt Alacrán.

I reviewed THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION on another post on this website. If you continue reading this post, you’ll encounter more than a few spoilers, so beware, click here if you’re interested in reading the novel review before continuing.

To order HOUSE OF THE SCORPION, click here.

Here are a few questions to get the discussion flowing.

1. Who is Matt? How would you describe him?
2. Why do you think others often treat him cruelly?
3. How would you describe Celia?
4. What does Celia feel about Matt?
5. What does El Patrón feel about Matt? Why do you think he calls Matt “mi vida”?
6. What does it mean to be owned by a person? (Tam Lin, Matt, Celia, and even Felicia…all of them tell stories that indicate they are owned and not free…owned by El Patrón.) How is it that El Patrón owns them?
7. What is an eejit?
8. How is an eejit similar or different than Matt?
9. How would you describe Matt’s struggle with being a clone? Does it make sense to you? Why or Why not?
10. Matt’s life makes a positive difference in the lives of many others in the novel. Make a list of those people.
11. Do you believe the cloning of people will take place in our future? In no, why?
12. If yes, How should clones be viewed by the society that creates them?
13. Can you imagine a situation where you would choose to have a clone of yourself created or that of a loved one?

Synopsis of the Cloning Story:

THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION is a Middle Grade/YA novel that follows the story of Matt Alacrán, one soul and his battle to find meaning and love in the midst of his genetic reality. El Patrón, a powerful drug lord who has an appetite for eternal life, has allowed Matt to be created as his clone, but the assumption is that Matt will not to live much past his adolescence. El Patrón’s long-term plans are to harvest the boy’s organs for himself. Neither the reader nor Matt know all of this initially. The reveal happens little by little. This is not a horror story in essence, though there are horrific issues to grapple with…Primarily, this story is about a young person figuring out who he is, learning day by day what it means to be human.