Mr. Smith asked sophomore students to read The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy, reflect on some of the themes and big questions in the novella, and share their beliefs with their peers.
They were to, first, select one of the topics below.

Happiness: What provides true happiness in life? What does it mean to live a good life? What choices will lead a person away from real happiness?

Faith/religion: What is the purpose of life? Does God exist? Why does God allow evil and suffering? Is it important to have faith in God?

Virtue: Why is honesty to oneself and others an important virtue? Is it harder to be good and holy if you are rich?

Then, write a detailed outline of their 4-6 minute speech, film it, and post it on the web to share with classmates.