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. After Darius’s videos are released, Kamran struggles with being both Persian and American.

• Compare and contrast what Kamran’s Persian-American Identity means to him before and after Darius’s videos are released. (topic sentence)
• Find three examples from the novel where Kamran struggles with his identity.
• What is the irony of assuming that Kamran’s Persian background means he could be affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization? Briefly summarize this point in your conclusion.

2. For many of the novel’s characters, loyalty and patriotism are central to their worldview.

• What does patriotism mean generally? (topic sentence)
• Select two characters from the novel and describe what being a patriot to their cause means to them.
• Do all characters share the same perspective of what it means to be patriotic? Or are there Conflicting Definitions of Patriotism? Briefly discuss these points in your conclusion.