Journey To The Center Of The Earth

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. Is Gräuben a good female role model today? Why or why not?

• What function does Gräuben serve in the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify traits of good female role models and cite passages from the text showing how Gräuben does or does not exemplify them.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether there is anything in Gräuben’s character that modern girls and women should be encouraged to emulate.

2. How does the good luck the characters experience affect the reader’s participation in the story?

• How important is tension to reader engagement with a story? (topic sentence)
• Describe some of the unlikely good fortune the travelers experience. How realistic is the balance between good and bad luck? As a reader, how worried are you that some or all of them might not survive the journey?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how your identification with the characters’ peril (or lack thereof) affects your enjoyment of the story.

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. The three main characters have highly distinctive personality traits. Describe the main features of the personalities of Professor Lidenbrock, Axel, and Hans. What are some positive and negative aspects of each? How do they complement or thwart each other? Discuss the importance of their attitudes and interactions to propelling the story. How might the story conclude without the professor? Without Axel? Without Hans?

2. Professor Lidenbrock is quick to supply scientific explanations for almost every strange discovery the travelers encounter. If a mystery does perplex him, either Axel or Hans figures it out. Why do you think Jules Verne decided to leave no scientific questions unanswered? What effect does all the scientific reasoning have on the reader’s sense of mystery and wonder at the marvels that unfold?