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. Many characters claim to be religiously pious, but their actions are often antithetical to church doctrine.

• What is the relationship between the duality of Religious Piety and Hypocrisy? (topic sentence)
• Select one character and examine how this person’s piety is counteracted by hypocritical actions.
• What comment does Baldwin make about hypocrisy and religion?

2. John fears his sexual thoughts about other men make him a sinner.

• How does the dichotomy of Sexuality and Shame manifest itself in John’s thought process? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples where John wrestles with shame and his sexuality in the novel.
• To what extent does he resolve this anxiety? Consider how the novel’s ambiguous ending comments on this resolution.

3. Structurally racist institutions and mindsets are constantly present in Baldwin’s novel.