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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

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

1. Friends are an important motif in Before the Ever After.

• How is friendship characterized in the novel, especially through ZJ’s friend group? (topic sentence)
• Describe the three friends in ZJ’s life and explain each one’s superhero “powers.”
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how these “powers” help ZJ begin to heal from losing the person his father once was.

2. Compare and contrast ZJ’s mother, Lisa Johnson, with ZJ’s grandmother.

• What roles do the two female characters take on in the narrative? (topic sentence)
• Contrast Lisa’s actions in “Over Breakfast” with Grandma’s wisdom in “Deep Waters.”
• Wrap up the essay by providing comparisons of the two women and their overall roles in helping the male characters.

3. Reread the final poem in the text, “Music.”

• How does “Music” relate to ZJ’s Support Network, his idea of Heroes, and The Role Memory Plays in Healing and Acceptance? (topic sentence)
• Highlight lines from “Music” that relate to these major themes.