The Universe of Obligation

Grounded is an opera that deals with many complexities of modern warfare, including the use of drones. The deeper conflicts in this opera, however, extend far beyond the battlefield and encompass a wide range of personal and professional relationships. How relationships are formed, how we become connected (or disconnected) from one another and ourselves, and how those relationships impact our decision making—all these questions become immediately relevant in the psychologically charged world of Jeanine Tesori’s opera.

In this activity, students will explore the concept of the universe of obligation to help them understand how Jess, the opera’s protagonist, determines what or whom she cares for most and why. They will also gain familiarity with the opera’s plot, engage with in-depth character analysis, and reflect on how individuals decide whose rights are worthy of respect and protection.

STEP 1. REVIEW

A basic understanding of the opera’s plot is vital to this activity. Distribute the synopsis included with this guide and invite students to read it silently or aloud in groups. You may also wish to have students act out scenes in short improvisatory skits, or you may wish to list the major plot points on the board to ensure students understand the story’s structure and themes.

Check for understanding:

• Focus on Jess as the protagonist/main character. List the relationships that shape her experience over the course of the opera. Remember that characters can have relationships not only with other characters but also with ideas, institutions, and themselves. Consider, for example, Jess’s relationship with being a pilot, the military, her gender identity as the sole woman in her squad, her commander, Eric, her child, and her target.
• What are some of the key decisions she makes over the course of the opera, and how do her relationships impact those choices?

Before moving on:

• Explain that the relationships we form have an impact on the choices we make: We can see how those relationships play into Jess’s decision-making process—and even her relationship with herself/Also Jess. Tell your students that during this lesson they will have a chance to explore how our individual universes of obligation help us prioritize whom we care about and whom we choose to protect and respect.

STEP 2. EXPLORE

Once students have a basic understanding of the opera’s plot and have discussed how the various relationships in Jess’s life shape her choices, introduce the concept of the universe of obligation.

Sociologist Helen Fein formulated this term to describe how individuals and groups determine “toward whom obligations are owed, to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for amends.” Use the turn-and-talk or fishbowl strategies to ask students to consider what factors influence the extent to which we feel an obligation to help other people.

• What sorts of things make us feel a responsibility toward others? Generate a list on chart paper or on a board.
• You may choose to offer examples from your own experiences. As a teacher, for example, you are obligated to help and support your students, but you feel a stronger obligation to your own children than you do to other people’s children in your classroom.
• Some ideas that students might share could include things such as shared interests (cat people vs. dog people), geographic regions (New Englanders vs. Southerners), in-groups and out-groups (political parties, sports rivalries, different faith traditions, racial or ethnic groups, etc.).

Check for understanding:

• Students should recognize that an individual’s or group’s universe of obligation may expand or contract as experiences or circumstances change. When students leave high school to attend college or join the military, for example, their universe of obligation may expand to include affinities to different groups of people, places, sports teams, etc. Ultimately, one’s universe of obligation is never static.
• If you or your students want to learn more about this concept, visit facinghistory.org/resource-library/universe-obligation for some additional background and explanation. Snigdha Banda’s TEDx talk, “Stories That Matter: Collapsing Human Barriers,” may also be helpful.

Before moving on, ensure that students can define the universe of obligation, perhaps using an exit-ticket strategy. It is essential that students have a grasp of this concept.

STEP 3. LISTEN

Distribute the handouts included with this guide. As a class, listen to the first aria, “The Blue,” from Grounded. You can watch a performance of the aria by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, accompanied by Tesori on piano, on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=WVFbk4z4nBI). (Note that in the previous version of the work, premiered at Washington National Opera in 2023, this piece was titled “All for the Blue.”) Below are the lyrics to this aria:

Blue
The Blue
I am the Blue.
I am alone in the vastness, and I am the Blue.
High on the sky,
On the solitude,
The freedom,
The peace.
Blue saturates me,
Fills ev’ry cell.
The Blue is my reward,
I earned it.
I earned it through sweat and brains and guts.
It is mine.
All of it.
My suit: My second skin
My passport to the sky
My ride: My Tiger
My gal who cradles me, who lifts me up
Into the Blue
The Blue

After students have listened to the aria, ask them to complete the included “Organizer” handout. If needed, revisit the plot synopsis from step 1 to help students identify and prioritize other relationships.

Once they have finished this handout, ask them to complete the second—a graphic chart of Jess’s universe of obligation. Ask students to consider how Jess’s universe of obligation shifts and changes over the course of the opera as she becomes involved with her partner, becomes a mother, and finds connections with her target.

STEP 4. REFLECT

At the conclusion of this activity, ask students to revisit Jess’s passion for “the Blue,” as expressed in the aria. How do her relationships shift her priorities as the opera progresses?

Finally, ask students to consider Jess’s most important relationship or obligation at the conclusion of the opera—that is, the relationship and/or obligation that determines her last-minute decision while targeting the Serpent. Using “The Blue” as a model, students can try writing a six-word story identifying that relationship.

People often say that Ernest Hemingway pioneered the six-word story with this famous line: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” You can also visit sixwordmemoirs.com for more inspiration. Students can also use construction or poster paper, found materials, or design tools to illustrate their six-word stories about Jess. Once they have all been completed, students can share their responses to the conclusion of the opera, or you can assemble a pamphlet with six-word stories from the entire class.

As an additional exercise or homework assignment, ask students to complete the third page of the handout included with this guide, which prompts them to articulate their own universe of obligation. They can also write a short essay describing how their universe obligation is similar to or different from what they glean from the opera.