Elatsoe

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. The town of Willowbee appears out of place in the Texas desert.

• What does Willowbee symbolically convey about colonialism? (topic sentence)
• Give evidence from at least three separate places in the text that supports your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the symbolic value of Willowbee supports the novel’s thematic concern with Prejudice and Privilege.

2. One of the cultural rules surrounding Ellie’s special abilities prohibits using her abilities to wake the ghosts of dead humans.

• How does the novel portray the difference between waking the ghost of an animal and waking the ghost of a human? (topic sentence)
• Give evidence from at least three separate places in the text that supports your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this cultural rule supports the novel’s thematic concerns with Justice Versus Vengeance and Grief and Letting Go.

3. Ellie alludes to the story of Icarus several times.

• How does the allusion to Icarus help to characterize Ellie? (topic sentence)
• Give evidence from at least three separate places in the text that supports your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this allusion supports the novel’s thematic concern with Family Legacies and Expectations.

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. Consider the probable purpose of making Jay’s character white. What messages are conveyed by the friendship between Jay and Ellie? Why does it matter that they are both important parts of solving the mystery and defeating Allerton? Write an essay in which you analyze the function of Jay’s character in this narrative, focusing particularly on his race. Show how his character relates to the novel’s thematic concern with Prejudice and Privilege. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted material.

2. Death is a repeated motif in Elatsoe. How does Elatsoe depict death? What messages are conveyed, for example, by Ellie’s various interactions with ghosts and the underworld, and by the dramatic showdown at Allerton’s mansion? What cultural beliefs about the dead and the underworld are reflected in this novel? Write an essay in which you analyze the novel’s depiction of death. Show how this depiction relates to the novel’s thematic concerns with Justice Versus Vengeance and Grief and Letting Go. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted material.

3. To what extent is Ellie her own person, and to what extent is she an extension or recreation of Six-Great? In what ways are the two similar and different in their personalities, their abilities, and their relationships? How similar or different are the events of their lives? Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Ellie with Six-Great. Show how these two figures support the novel’s thematic concern with Family Legacies and Expectations. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted material.