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. Several barriers prevent Paul from escaping Annie.

• What physical and emotional dependencies does Annie take advantage of to keep Paul in captivity? (topic sentence)
• Describe three specific dependencies that keep Paul in Annie’s house despite his desire to escape. Explain what makes each one effective.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the novel’s theme of Confinement and Captivity relates to Annie’s ability to achieve what she wants.

2. Stephen King made the choice to include excerpts from Paul’s manuscript for Misery’s Return in the novel.

• What is the overall purpose of the excerpts from Misery’s Return in King’s novel? (topic sentence)
• Discuss how the Misery’s Return excerpts potentially impact readers. What feelings might they evoke in readers, and why?
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Misery’s Return relates to the novel’s theme of The Writing Process.