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 bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Within the play, some Aboriginal people work for Australian law enforcement.

• Are Aboriginal people who work for the white people (i.e., Topsy and Billy) undermining the cause of Aboriginal communities? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples from the play to substantiate the validity of your argument.
• How does the employment of Aboriginal people link to the play’s theme of Systematic Racism?

2. At the end of the play, Joe and Mary have each other, but must say goodbye to their families.

• Do Joe and Mary’s communities understand their decision to leave? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples and analyze their families’ responses to leaving.
• How does their choice speak to the larger theme of The Importance of Family?

Full Essay Assignments