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 novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The first time that the scene of Sethe murdering her daughter is portrayed, it’s presented from schoolteacher’s point of view.

• Why is his point of view the one the author chose for this scene? (topic sentence)
• In what ways does his inhumanity toward Sethe and other slaves provide a context for her actions? Provide specific evidence from the text to show how he dehumanizes or demeans Sethe.
• How does this relate to the theme of the destruction of Black identity?

2. When the schoolteacher’s nephews violate Sethe, she is most outraged by their theft of her breast milk.

• What does Sethe’s milk mean to her in the novel? (topic sentence)
• How does her ownership of her breast milk manifest in her thinking about slavery, motherhood, and/or her value as an individual? Provide specific evidence from the text.
• How does this tie the theme of the trauma and memory of slavery to the theme of intimate mother-daughter relationships?

3.