61 pages • 2 hours read
Susan NussbaumGood Kings Bad Kings
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What does it mean to be self-sufficient? What does this look like for different characters? How do they achieve it, and how do those with self-sufficiency use it to benefit themselves or others?
Which character is the most vulnerable and unable to defend themselves? Why? Which character is the least vulnerable and most able to defend themselves?
Intersectionality is a social theory that outlines how oppression and trauma can be different for each individual, based on their “intersecting” identities. For example, a woman may be more likely to deal with systemic oppression than a male, but a young disabled Latina woman may be far more likely than a wealthy middle-aged white woman to experience different forms of discrimination and oppression. In what ways are the female characters in this text exploited and oppressed, in comparison to male characters? How might this reality inform our understanding of “intersectionality” and “intersectional trauma”?
Teddy is a loveable character whose jokes, friendship, and sense of caring add to the ILLC community. Why do you think his character was the one to be accidentally killed (as opposed to Yessenia, Mia, or another young patient at ILLC)? What does his tragic and unexpected death signal about America’s patient care system?
There are many dialects or ways of speaking/writing used in this book. For example, the author wrote Mia’s chapters with incorrect grammar and poor spelling, while writing Joanne’s chapters in perfect, intellectual sentences. Why do you think the author chose to write the book in this manner? How does this changing of dialects and voices contribute to how we understand each character differently?
Who or what most represents the antagonist of this story? In other words, who or what most represents the villain? What makes them villainous? How do the protagonists in the story overcome their evil intentions?
Many characters are able to grow, transform, and change throughout the course of this story. In your opinion, which character undergoes the most drastic change from beginning to end? Why? Include at least three moments of evidence from the narrative that track their evolution.
Ricky and Joanne seem different in many ways—culturally, physically, mentally—however, their relationship seems to work. Why do you think the author decided to include this romantic element in the story? How does their relationship contribute to the themes of the story?
The idea of “care” takes on many forms in this novel. Which forms of care are the most beneficial to the characters? Who provides this care and what does it look like? Conversely, which forms of care are most harmful to the characters? Who provides this care and what does it look like?
