Code of Honor

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.

3. Gratz’s novel explores the overarching theme that brothers share a bond regardless of different cultures.

• Which two characters discuss their relationships with their brothers at length in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast the relationships between these two sets of brothers.
• Describe how the theme of Brotherhood and the “Code of Honor” affect these two characters and their relationships with their respective brothers in your concluding sentences.

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. Kamran has conflicting feelings about violence. Write an essay exploring how Kamran is forced to embrace violence and how he denounces it. How does this connect to ideas of military service and the violence that comes from fulfilling one’s duty?

2. Consider the shifting perceptions of Islam throughout the novel. Choose three characters in the novel and analyze how they perceive Islam and Christianity. Do their perceptions change throughout the novel? Why or why not?

3. What does it mean to be a “terrorist,” according to Gratz? Choose two characters with the label of “terrorist” and write an essay that analyzes how the author complicates and humanizes their identities. By the end of the novel, is the idea of a “terrorist” as black and white as it is at the beginning?