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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, male and female characters search for love. Choose one character and trace their journey with The Nature of Love.

• How does this character define love? (topic sentence)
• What steps does this character take to achieve love, and what is the result of each step?
•  In your closing sentences, discuss whether the character’s quest for love is successful or unsuccessful and why.

2. Throughout the novel, Claudia searches for identity. Many things inform her search: her family and friends, celebrities, toys, etc.

• How does Claudia come to define her Black Female Identity? (topic sentence)
• What sources contribute to this identity, and in what ways?
• In your closing sentences, evaluate whether Claudia ends the novel with a healthy or unhealthy sense of identity.