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. The mesquite is an omnipresent figure in the novel. It means different things to different characters, and it symbolizes different things depending on the circumstances.

• What is the mesquite’s role in the narrative? What does it primarily symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Identify how Lupita and Mami see the mesquite at the beginning of the novel and connect it to their circumstances; then, compare this to how Mami and Lupita feel about the mesquite after Mami returns from cancer treatment. Finally, examine how Lupita views the mesquite after Mami’s death.
• In your conclusion, briefly discuss how the mesquite’s transformation reflects Lupita’s own transformation in the way that she approaches both her own identity and her outlook on life.