Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker?
Crime and Punishment
30 minutes total
ByFyodor Dostoevsky
Grade11-12
Time30 minutes
Essential question
Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker?
Marked passage
Passage location
Part V, Chapter IV
Start anchor
“Yes, that’s what it was! I wanted to become a Napoleon, that is why I killed her.... Do you understand now?”
End anchor
whether I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right...”,
Passage focus
Napoleon stops being an excuse
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Track at least three explanations and show where he weakens, replaces, or contradicts each one.
Mark
Number each explanation Raskolnikov offers for the murder. Cross out each one when he weakens or replaces it. Star the explanation that comes closest to making the crime a test of himself.
Instructional move
Track a confession as explanations are proposed and discarded
Notice
• Why is the Napoleon explanation initially attractive to Raskolnikov? • What makes him reject or revise it? • What does the repeated revision reveal about whether he understood his motive before acting?
Strong answer
He keeps revising because each explanation—money, Napoleon, career, daring—fails to account fully for what he did. The confession reveals that motive itself was unstable and partly unknown to him.
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not select one motive too early and ignore the revisions. The repeated failure of explanations is the evidence.
Why this passage
Raskolnikov keeps replacing one explanation for the murder—money, Napoleon, testing himself—with another because none fully accounts for what he did. The confession becomes an investigation of motive rather than a stable statement of motive.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Number each explanation Raskolnikov offers for the murder. Cross out each one when he weakens or replaces it. Star the explanation that comes closest to making the crime a test of himself.
Notice
Why is the Napoleon explanation initially attractive to Raskolnikov? What makes him reject or revise it? What does the repeated revision reveal about whether he understood his motive before acting?
Think
Answer provisionally: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 12 · 11-12 · LESSON 236
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed
the pawnbroker?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
Napoleon stops being an excuse
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Part V, Chapter IV
START
“Yes, that’s what it was! I wanted to become a Napoleon, that is why I killed her.... Do you understand now?”
END
whether I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right...”,
PASSAGE ID
sec-cp-02
THE MOVE
Track a confession as explanations are proposed and discarded
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Raskolnikov keeps replacing one explanation for the murder—money, Napoleon, testing himself—with another because none fully accounts for what he did. The confession becomes an investigation of motive rather than a stable statement of motive.
MARK
Number each explanation Raskolnikov offers for the murder. Cross out each one when he weakens or replaces it. Star the explanation that comes closest to making the crime a test of himself.
page 1
NOTICE
Why is the Napoleon explanation initially attractive to Raskolnikov?
What makes him reject or revise it?
What does the repeated revision reveal about whether he understood his motive before acting?
THINK
Answer provisionally: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed the pawnbroker? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
He keeps revising because each explanation—money, Napoleon, career, daring—fails to account fully for what he did. The confession reveals that motive itself was unstable and partly unknown to him.
EVIDENCE
Track at least three explanations and show where he weakens, replaces, or contradicts each one.
WATCH FOR
Do not select one motive too early and ignore the revisions. The repeated failure of explanations is the evidence.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he killed
the pawnbroker?
START ANCHOR
“Yes, that’s what it was! I wanted to become a Napoleon, that is why I killed her.... Do you understand now?”
END ANCHOR
whether I am a trembling creature or whether I have the right...”,
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Number each explanation Raskolnikov offers for the murder. Cross out each one when
he weakens or replaces it. Star the explanation that comes closest to making the crime a test of himself.
2.NOTICE - Why is the Napoleon explanation initially attractive to Raskolnikov? What makes him
reject or revise it? What does the repeated revision reveal about whether he understood his motive before acting?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: Why does Raskolnikov keep revising his explanation of why he
killed the pawnbroker?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
Open this section to load the PDF.
The plan opens at a readable size. Scroll across on a narrow screen, or choose Fit width to see the full page.