THE SCARLET LETTER- Hawthorne
1. The Scarlet Letter deals with several important issues: sin, guilt, punishment, revenge. Of the following characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, or Roger Chillingworth, who is the most sinful or the guiltiest? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Abbey H. Per. 4- Destiny C. Per. 5- Alyssia K. Per. 6-Claire M.
THE SCARLET LETTER- Hawthorne
2. Unlike the Puritans, Hawthorne believed in degrees of sin (that some sins were worse than others) and he also believed in comparison towards those who have sinned. Do you agree or disagree with Hawthorne’s opinions about sin and sinners as presented in this novel? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 4- John D. Per. 5- Nathan H. Per. 6-Tori L.
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN- Twain
1. Consider how the friendship between Huck and Jim develops. Who is a better friend, Huck or Jim? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Nick R. Per. 4- Cody R. Per. 5-Will A. Per. 6-Caster W.
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN- Twain
2. What happens when obligations of friendship conflict with society’s views? Which is more important- loyalty to a friend or loyalty to society? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Rashawn J. Per. 5- Ethan C. Per. 6-Kevin H.
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE- Salinger
1. In your opinion, should Holden be in a psychiatric hospital because of his actions and/or ideas? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Malachi W. Per. 4- Michael M. Per. 5- Dominic Per. 6- Andrew C.
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE- Salinger
2. Holden Caufield repeatedly brings up “phony” people in the novel. What is the Holden’s view of the “phony” people and things in his society? Do you agree or disagree with his opinion on this issue? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Dennis K. Per. 4-Allenby Per. 5- Donny J. Per. 6- Dylan L.
MY ANTONIA- Cather
1. In one of her essays, Willa Cather observed, “I have not much faith in women in fiction.” Do you think that Antonia is a heroine? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2-Mariah M. Per. 4- Aya A. Per. 5- Rayna M.
MY ANTONIA- Cather
2. My Antonia is thought to be an autobiographical novel. Why, then, does Cather present the story from the perspective of a male narrator? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 4- Allyson C. Per. 5- Isabelle D. Per. 6- Jase P.
GRAPES OF WRATH- Steinbeck
1. The people who are described inThe Grapes of Wrathare bound together by their shared circumstances. As a result, there is a community of refugees that is created, people who might otherwise not have been in contact or community with one another. How important is the theme of community inThe Grapes of Wrath?Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 4- Nicholas S.
GRAPES OF WRATH- Steinbeck
2. Discuss the development of Tom Joad as a character. How does he grow throughout the book? What effects do Jim Casy’s imprisonment and death have on his development? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Joy Luck Club - Tan
1.) The Joy Luck Club is essentially the story of Chinese mothers and daughters. Each mother contributes a significant amount of wisdom to her daughter that later proves to be important in the daughter's life. Identify three of these significant teachings, one per mother-daughter pair. Next, explain how the lesson, advice, etc. influenced the daughter's search for self identity (note: only 3 or the 4 mother-daughter pairs should be addressed).
Per. 5- Tamia R. Per. 6- Ruquaia A.
Joy Luck Club - Tan
2.) In The Joy Luck Club , lack of communication causes problems between mother and daughter. How does this lack of communications cause mother and daughter to misunderstand each other? Cite at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Per. 2- Gabriel S. Per. 5- Olivia Q. Per. 6- Kelcie H.
The Jungle - Sinclair
1.) One of the most significant characters in The Jungle is Ona Lukoszaite. Is Ona a strong or a weak person? Thoroughly explain your answer, using at least three examples from the text as support.
Per. 2- Kadin A. Per. 4- Quaid L. Per. 5- Azeneth Per. 6- Nathaniel F.
The Jungle - Sinclair
2.) The Jungle is one of the most influential social criticism novels of all time. What is the message Sinclair is trying to convey? Thoroughly explain your answer, using at least three examples from the text as support. Also discuss whether or not you agree with this message.
Per. 5- Jason X. Per. 6- Aiden C.
The Natural - Malamud
1.) How do you account for Roy's immense hunger? Explain your answer thoroughly using at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Per. 4- Ethan G. Per. 5- Zach K.Per. 6- Jayson O.
The Natural - Malamud
2.) What is Iris’s message to Roy concerning the role of the hero, and how does Roy react to this message? Explain your answer thoroughly using at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Per. 2- Spencer M. Per. 5-Cody B. Per. 6-Max A.
The Chosen - Potok
1.) How do internal conflicts make adolescence difficult for Danny Saunders? Explain your answer thoroughly using at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Per. 2- Isabel P. Per. 4- Crystal V. Per. 6- Andrew H.
The Chosen - Potok
2.). “Things are always as they seem, Reuven? Since when?”. How do the characters in The Chosen learn that people are not always what they seem? Explain your answer thoroughly using at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Per. 4- Andrew C. Per. 6- Ethan R.
The Bluest Eye- Morrison
1. Perception is a key element in the novel: how the individual is perceived or is seenby others, how the individual internalizes that perception, and how the individual perceives others. The interaction of these helps to create and reinforce the sense of identity. Contrast the two characters, Pecola and Claudia and show how they respond to others perceive them and how they would like to be. Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2-Daijah A. Per. 4- Emily T. Per. 5- Nate V. Per. 6- Kameryn D.
The Bluest Eye- Morrison
2. Morrison combines the realistic with the unrealistic and the supernatural with folk tales. She believes that the move of African Americans from the rural South to the North resulted in the loss of community and the connection to their past. How do the characters in the novel show this loss and need? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Lisa B. Per. 4-Aleia W. Per. 5- Mayeanna B. Per. 6-Jesus P.
Native Son- Wright
1. Throughout Native Son by Richard Wright, Bigger commits murder twice and engages in other behavior that the reader is likely to find socially and morally unacceptable. Yet one might argue that Bigger merely responded to the conditions in which he lived and which shaped him. In your opinion, should Bigger be viewed as a sympathetic character? Support your answer with three examples from the text.
Per. 5- Marcellus H. Per. 6-Shaun F.
Native Son- Wright
2. From the earliest pages of Native Son, Bigger clearly conveys his sense that everything in his life is frustrating and limiting. His mother predicts that Bigger will suffer deeply if he does not apply himself to overcome the obstacles in his path, and her prediction proves true. In your opinion, what are factors contribute to and/or limit Bigger’s development? Support your answer with three examples from the text.
RED BADGE OF COURAGE- Crane
1. According to Naturalists, humans are weak and ineffectual beings at the mercy of deterministic forces. Analyze how you believe this idea fits with the character ofHenry. Does Henry believe he has the opportunity to change the circumstances which surround him during the war? Support your answer with three examples from the text.
Per. 2- John Y. Per. 4- Daniel Y. Per. 5- Michaela Y. Per. 6-Elijah V.
RED BADGE OF COURAGE- Crane
2. It can be inferred that Crane is showing the reader about the sacrifices of war being futile and the suffering not worth the costs. Do you agree or disagree with what Crane shows us about war through the experiences of Henry? Support your answer with three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Nathaniel D. Per. 4- Carsen R. Per. 5- Brody S. Per. 6-Charles K.
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS- Angelou
1. Discuss how the novel shows the reader about the concept that one’s life is not inherited or predestined, that it is possible to participate in an exuberant struggleto transcend traditions of ignorance and fear? Support your answer with three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Ciara H. Per. 4- Maddie E. Per. 5-Serena T. Per. 6- Jalaiaya F.
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS- Angelou
2. Maya Angelou shows us through her imagery about race and beauty and familiarity of the place where she grew up and writes about the difficulty of being black in the South. Examine how the struggle she writes about yields both exhaustion and peace. Support your answer with three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Sierra S. Per. 4- Kayla T. Per. 5- Jakob H. Per. 6- Jada D.
In Cold Blood- Capote
1. From the text of the book show what you believe Truman Capote thinks about the death penalty. Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Ryan W. Per. 4- Brieanna T. Per. 5- Marcus K. Per. 6- Quinton F.
In Cold Blood- Capote
2. Explain what the gossip surrounding the murders shows us about underlying truths in the town of Holcomb. Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Klara M. Per. 4- Nick H. Per. 5- Bailey G. /Pablo L.Per. 6- Jenny P.
A Lesson Before Dying- Gaines
1. Grant’s task is to affirm that Jefferson is not a hog, but a man. The mission is doubly difficult because Grant isn’t sure he knows what a man is. What definition of manhood, or humanity, does A Lesson Before Dying provide? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Hattie S. Per. 4- Izaiah F. Per. 5- Kris G. Per. 6-Sonja F.
A Lesson Before Dying- Gaines
2. From the manslaughter that begins this novel to the judicial murder at its close, death is a constant presence in A Lesson Before Dying . We are repeatedly reminded of all the untimely, violent deaths that have preceded Jefferson’s and, in all likelihood, will follow it. Why then is Jefferson’s death so disturbing to this book’s black characters, and even to some of its white ones? What does Jefferson’s death accomplish that his life could not? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Angelique B. Per. 4-Devan R. Per. 5- Nathaniel H.
Their Eyes Were Watching God- Hurston
1. Explain the significance of the title Their Eyes Were Watching God. Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- London M. Per. 4- Anthony A. Per. 6- Jacob J.
Their Eyes Were Watching God- Hurston
2. In 1937, Richard Wright reviewed Their Eyes Were Watching Godand wrote, “The sensory sweep of her novel carries no theme, no message, not thought. Inthe main, her novel is not addressed to the Negro, but to a white audience whose chauvinistic tales she knows how to satisfy.” In particular, Wright objected to the novel’s discussion of race and use of black dialect. Why might Wright have objected to Their Eyes Were Watching God? Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 4- Reesie G. Per. 6- Lily L.
Of Mice and Men- Steinbeck
1. Is George justified in his actions at the end of the book? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Basma A. Per. 4- Chase S. Per. 5- Timawni H. Per. 6- George R.
Of Mice and Men- Steinbeck
2. Does Curley's wife deserve to be viewed as a victim or do her actions reveal a manipulative woman who brought trouble upon herself? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
Per. 2- Noah B.
The Poisonwood Bible- Kingsolver
1. Why is the perspective of Nathan Price not included? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.
The Poisonwood Bible- Kingsolver
2. Who among the many voices of the novel would be considered the protagonist of this novel? Support your answer with at least three examples from the text.