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. “Sonny’s Blues” conveys the literary technique of tone toward those with substance use disorders (SUDs).

• How does “Sonny’s Blues” reveal a tone of judgment or empathy toward those with drug addictions? (topic sentence)
• Describe three situations or moments in the story that suggest this tone of judgment/empathy.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why the writer might have conveyed this tone. Why would Baldwin approach this issue with judgment/empathy?

2. Though settings are not traditionally seen as characters, in Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” the neighborhood of Harlem acts as a character in the story.

• In what ways does the neighborhood act like a character in “Sonny’s Blues”? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 characteristics of the neighborhood that contribute to it being a character in “Sonny’s Blues.