27 pages 54 minutes read

Ted Hughes

The Iron Giant

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1968

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Essay Topics

1.

How does peoples’ perception of the Iron Man change over time, and why? How does the Iron Man respond to the way people treat him? Why doesn’t he seek revenge for being buried?

2.

What human characteristics does the Iron Man possess? In what ways does the Iron Man symbolize the often-destructive nature of human beings? Why does Hughes evoke empathy with the Iron Man?

3.

How does the humans’ treatment of the Iron Man demonstrate The Human Capacity to Be Both Cruel and Kind? Are there any real-life examples of this duality that could be compared to the actions of humans in the story?

Related Titles

By Ted Hughes