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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In literature, an author creates character foils by juxtaposing two different characters to highlight subtle similarities between them. This draws the reader’s attention to an important idea underlying the comparison.  

• How do Redd and Alyss foil one another in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Compare Alyss’s and Redd’s respective experiences and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Cite examples from the text to support your response.  
• In your concluding sentence(s), identify the key difference between Alyss and Redd and connect it to one of the novel’s themes.

2. The hero’s journey is a common plot structure that is often applied to coming-of-age journeys in literature.

• Which steps of the hero’s journey are present in Alyss’s character arc? (topic sentence)
• Identify the important moments in the novel that shape Alyss. How does she change throughout the novel? Discuss how those moments correspond to steps of the hero’s journey.
• In your concluding sentence(s), evaluate whether Alyss’s arc follows the hero’s journey model.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In the novel, Beddor uses the setting of a civil war to shape characters and communicate themes. Child characters like Dodge and Alyss face significant losses that affect their development into adults. How does trauma shape Alyss and Dodge? How do their outlooks change throughout the novel? What does each character learn about hate, revenge, and duty? Connect the author’s use of the war setting and the juxtaposition between Alyss and Dodge to a theme in the novel. Use cited textual evidence to support your analysis.

2. In Carroll’s original Alice stories, the protagonist is a young child, but in Beddor’s re-imagining, Alyss is primarily portrayed  in her adolescent and adult years. Discuss why the author chose to make this change. How do Alyss’s perspective and actions change as she ages?u What might the narrative suggest about the power of maturity? Connect your analysis to a theme in the novel. Use at least 3 cited quotations or examples from the text to strengthen your argument.