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

1. Consider the many ways the novel shows women being discouraged from entering “male-only” spaces.

• Besides legally prohibiting it, what are some of the ways that society creates barriers to the female characters’ entry into spaces reserved for men? (topic sentence)
• Explain which spaces seem to be reserved for men, and offer evidence from the text to show that despite their desire to be included in these spaces, the female characters are discouraged from entry. Then, describe two or three methods that society employs to discourage the women from entering these spaces. Offer evidence from the text to support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show the connection between these barriers and the novel’s themes of Coded Spaces and Rules of Engagement and The Dismissal of Women as a Group.