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. At the end of the first day of fighting, the Polish and Jewish flags are hoisted high inside Warsaw Ghetto, visible even to the surrounding city.

• Why is the act of hoisting these two flags a particularly significant one? (topic sentence)
• Using evidence from the text, discuss 1 way in which the above action relates to the symbolism of flags broadly and 1 way in which it relates to the historical context of WWII specifically.
• In your conclusion, explain Esther’s response to the sight of these flags flying high in the context of their symbolism.

2. The process of Reconciling Faith and Morality in the Context of Violence is one of the major themes that Resistance explores.