Sunrise Over Fallujah

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. Throughout the novel, Birdy observes varieties of communities coping with loss and experiencing the grief of losing a loved one.

• How is Death a Shared Experience for the characters of the novel? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three examples in which death unites both communities as well as enemies.
• In which ways does this theme speak to shared experiences of humanity? Briefly discuss in your concluding sentences.

2. Although Birdy learns the importance of Rules of Engagement in warfare, he quickly understands that the reality is much  more complicated.

• How are the Rules of Engagement treated by the characters of the novel in the reality of war? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three examples in which the Rules of Engagement are knowingly disregarded by either side.
• Is the Fog of War an unfortunate accident for soldiers? Or is it a tactic of warfare? Briefly address in your concluding sentences.

3. Birdy and his squad try to help the Iraqi civilians; however, they realize that although they may have good intentions, there are some negative situations that cannot be avoided.

• Do the US soldiers have power to change the situation in Iraq? Or are they often left helpless? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss three examples to substantiate your point.
• Does the novel end with suggestions of Helplessness—or of the ability to change Iraq’s future? Briefly discuss 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. Consider the role of gender throughout the novel. How do women soldiers experience war differently when compared to their male counterparts? Are female soldiers more at risk? If so, how? How is gender used as a weapon within the novel?

2. Throughout the novel, Birdy and his peers struggle with identifying the enemy. In your opinion, who is the enemy? Are there “good guys” and “bad guys” in the novel? Or is the reality much murkier within the Fog of War? Select one of Birdy’s peers from the novel and analyze their opinion on who the enemy is.