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 book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Vladek keeps many meaningless items, yet he chooses to burn Anja’s diaries and other pieces of meaningful memorabilia.

• What informs Vladek’s decisions on what to keep and what to destroy? (topic sentence)
• Provide 2-3 reasons Vladek would choose to keep some things but not others.
• Conclude with a brief explanation regarding how these decisions reflect Vladek’s relationship with his tragic past.

2. In Part 2, Chapter 3, Spiegelman depicts Vladek as racist in a scene involving a Black hitchhiker.

• What is the author’s purpose in including this scene in the book? (topic sentence)
• Discuss 2-3 ways this scene influences the reader’s impression of Vladek.
• In your conclusion, explain the overall impact of this scene on the mood or atmosphere of Maus.

3. Spiegelman includes the entirety of his older comic about his mother’s suicide in the text of Maus.

• How does the style of “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” communicate the emotions of its subject differently than the style used in Maus? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 examples of visual symbolism or metaphor used in “Prisoner on the Hell Planet.