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. In the song “Anatevka,” the people mourn for their village as they prepare for their departure.

• How does this song capture the melancholic mood of their departure? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 lines from the song to substantiate your point.
• How does this song’s lyrics speak to the larger theme of Jewish Tradition and Cultural Erasure?

2. Throughout the play, Tevye references the importance of upholding the traditional Jewish household structure in Anatevka.

• What point do you think the musical makes about tradition and the role it plays in a culture? (topic sentence)
• Use examples and evidence from the text to support your answer.
• What is the connection between Jewish Tradition and the Concept of Home?

3. In the song “Matchmaker,” Hodel and Chava sing about their parents’ wishes for their future husbands: “for Papa make him a scholar, for Mama make him rich as a king.