Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Rashad is directly affected by systemic racism in the novel.

• Generally, in what way do character reactions to the assault demonstrate the prevalence of systemic racism? (topic sentence)
• Select at least 3 prominent characters in the story and analyze their reactions to the assault. How do the actions of each chosen character contribute to the theme of The Challenges of Combating Systemic Racism?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the extent to which individual character reactions represent the overall community response to the catalyst event.

2. Quinn struggles with his personal feelings about Paul after witnessing Paul’s actions.

• How does Quinn come to terms with Paul’s actions? (topic sentence)
• Select at least 3 plot points that focus on Quinn’s internal and/or external struggle regarding his stance on Paul’s actions.