The Magic Fish

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. Choose one fairytale from the story and connect it back to what is happening in either Tiền’s or Hiền’s life.

• How does the fairytale reflect what is happening in the story? (topic sentence)
• What are three examples from the text that illustrate these similarities?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your answer back to the motif of communicating through fairytales or stories as a special language.

2. Water appears in many panels throughout The Magic Fish.

• What does water symbolize? Does the symbol change? (topic sentence)
• Use three examples in which water appears to support your thesis.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, explain why this symbol is important to the story as a whole.

3. Hiền has difficulty communicating with Tiền because she mostly speaks Vietnamese, and he mostly speaks English.

• How do Hiền and Tiền communicate throughout the novel? (topic sentence)
• What role do stories play in their ability to communicate? Use at least three examples from the text to answer this question.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your answer back to the themes of either Being In-Between Worlds or Trusting in Friends and Family.

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. Each of the three fairytales include a love story. Tiền also has a crush on his friend Julian. Why is Falling in Love an important theme throughout this novel? Formulate a strong central thesis to answer this question and pay special attention to the fact that there are many different types of love in this graphic novel. Use at least three examples from the text to support your argument.

2. Hiền frequently feels caught between her past and present selves. How does she grow as a character throughout this novel? Why is her story arc important to Tiền’s, beyond the fact that she is his mother? Write an essay in which you examine Hiền’s story arc and her characterization. At least one of the examples you use to support your argument should draw from the visual elements of the graphic novel. Ultimately, connect your thesis to the theme of Being In-Between Worlds.

3. Behind Tiền and Hiền are their family and friends. How does the author centralize the importance of Trusting in Friends and Family in this novel? In your essay, develop a strong central thesis that explores at least three friendships or familial relationships in this novel and why these relationships are important to the main characters.