comprehensive Senior English analysis deck for The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, designed to develop students’ analytical thinking, close reading, and essay-writing skills through the study of this haunting and philosophically rich dystopian novel.

Through engaging and thought-provoking learning activities, students explore themes of memory, loss, identity, authoritarianism, and the power of storytelling while examining Ogawa’s unsettling depiction of an island where objects — and eventually people — inexplicably disappear, and a novelist risks everything to hide her editor from the sinister Memory Police. The deck encourages students to analyse Ogawa’s distinctive narrative voice, surreal and elegiac prose style, and story-within-a-story structure to develop sophisticated understandings of the text.

What’s included
• Analysis of themes, voice, context, and cultural assumptions
• Exploration of memory, loss, identity, authoritarianism, and the power of storytelling
• Study of dystopian and speculative fiction conventions, surrealism, and Japanese literary context
• Language features, symbolism, imagery, and figurative language analysis
• Examination of narrative voice, point of view, and characterisation
• Close reading and comprehension activities
• A structured sequence of analysis slides paired with classroom-ready learning activities
• Engaging activities designed to promote discussion, interpretation, and critical thinking

Teaching approach
This resource follows a flexible, activity-based approach rather than a scripted lesson-by-lesson format. Teachers can work through the deck in order or select individual slides and activities to suit their classroom needs, supporting students in developing deeper understanding through discussion, close analysis, collaboration, and analytical writing.

File info
• Provided as a non-editable PDF
• Not designed as an editable PowerPoint
How to use
• Upload to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) for digital learning
• Print selected pages for classroom use
• Display pages to support discussion, analysis, and writing activities
• Upload to presentation or design platforms if you wish to adapt for your own use (formatting may vary depending on the program used)