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

1. The characters in Mexican WhiteBoy face a wide range of challenges. Some are unique to individual characters, while others involve overcoming larger societal problems.

• What are challenges faced by three different characters? (topic sentence)
• Describe the issues and how they manifest themselves in the characters’ lives, using specific examples from the text.
• In your concluding paragraph, connect your analysis of these challenges to the theme of Physical Manifestations of Emotional Pain.

2. Hope is a consistent theme throughout Mexican WhiteBoy.

• What does the narrative say about the idea of hope? (topic sentence)
• Consider when the presence or absence of hope shapes the characters’ experiences.
• In your concluding paragraph, connect your discussion to the book’s broader theme of False Hope versus Real Hope.