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. One of the story’s main themes is the crushing impact of institutional racism on the lives of Black communities.

• What are some of the ways Ellison conveys this theme in the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 moments from the text and analyze how they exemplify the impact of institutional racism on the protagonist’s life.
• How does institutional racism link to the larger theme of The Great Migration and Dislocation Between North and South?

2. Consider the roles that both the audience and the man with the microphone play in the story.

• In which way do their responses to the protagonist affect the story’s outcome? (topic sentence)
• Identify one example for each role where the protagonist is notably affected by their response.