Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

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. Throughout the account, Claudette refers to several hardships she experienced during her activism.

• How does Claudette’s story reflect the general experience of women who were activists in the civil rights movement? (topic sentence)
• Identify 1-2 examples from the text to substantiate your answer.
• In which way does gender link to the larger theme of Perseverance Through Hardship and Injustice?

2. Many of the adults in Claudette’s life influenced her to become an activist

• How does Claudette become inspired to join the civil rights movement? (topic sentence)
• Identify 1-2 examples from the text to substantiate your point.
• How does the role of activism link to the broader theme of The Importance of Questioning The Status Quo?

3. Consider the challenges that the Black community experienced in navigating daily life in Montgomery.

• What were some of these challenges? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples from the text to substantiate your point.
• How do these challenges speak to the larger theme of Internal Prejudices in 1950s Black Montgomery?

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. Claudette notes throughout the account that she felt as if she was excluded from the NAACP leadership group. What are some of the reasons she did not feel included? How did the group respond to her concerns, if at all? Provide examples from the text and cite your sources.

2. The Montgomery bus boycott was one of many forms of nonviolent protest during the civil rights movement. Compare the Montgomery bus boycott to another moment of nonviolent protestation during Claudette’s time. How are they alike? How are they different? How do these protestations connect with Thoreau’s concept of “civil disobedience”?

3. Several times in the text, both the author and Claudette reference the NAACP’s desire to find the “right person” to act as a representative of the boycott. What were some of the attributes they were looking for in this person? Did Claudette fit the mold for a desirable candidate? Do you think it was necessary for the NAACP to be selective in this process? Why or why not? Consider how this dilemma reflects on the broader idea of the politics of activism.