Long Way Down

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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Will frequently uses anagrams as a way of thinking about his life.

• How do these anagrams have a symbolic function for Will? (topic sentence)
• Discuss several of the anagrams in the book, using evidence to provide analysis on what they say about Will’s character arc and beliefs.
• In what way is Will trying to rearrange his own life in the book?

2. The novel’s poetic form often uses techniques from concrete poetry to heighten the meaning of the language.

• How do the visual aspects of the narrative influence your understanding of the work as a whole? (topic sentence)
• Look at several visual elements and show how they relate to the main narrative of the book.
• How might this presentation help represent Will’s struggle?

3. Ghosts are a common trope in literature as a way of engaging with regret.

• How do the ghosts in this story function? (topic sentence)
• Demonstrate how each ghost serves to further the theme of the novel.
• How does Will’s experience with these ghosts affect his ultimate decision in the novel?

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 final question of the novel is unresolved, and it’s implied that there may be no escape for Will even if he changes his own perspective on The Rules. How does this ambiguity function in your reading of the novel and the novel’s larger theme about cycles of violence? Is it possible for Will to escape?

2. Uncle Mark’s passion for filmmaking is interrupted when his camera is stolen, ultimately leading to his downfall. How is Uncle Mark’s story central to the problem in The Rules and living in a community that only provides limited options for men to have agency in their lives?

3. The novel presents violence as an inevitability, the “always” that these young men live under, and with that comes a complicated understanding of who is victim and who is perpetrator. What is the novel trying to say about the relationship between being a victim and victimizing others, and how does that relate to the broader problems of the inner-city community, institutional racism, and the historical treatment of Black men in America?