As Brave As You

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. Sometimes a setting can represent an idea that is larger than itself.

• What does the hill symbolize in As Brave as You? (topic sentence)
• Explain three pieces of evidence from the story that support your interpretation of the hill’s meaning.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how this symbol contributes to the reader’s understanding of the novel as a coming-of-age story.

2. Something that happens in an unexpected but strangely appropriate way can be called ironic.

• How does the fighting between his grandmother and grandfather, ironically, reassure Genie about his parents’ relationship? (topic sentence)
• Explain a piece of evidence from the story that shows how Genie, instead of becoming more worried when his grandparents argue, actually feels better about his parents’ conflicts.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this situation supports the novel’s concern with The Effect of Marital Problems Upon Children.

3. In As Brave as You, there are two sets of brothers. Their relationships have some similarities and differences that make the pairs of brothers foils for one another.

• What are the similarities and differences between Genie and Ernie’s relationship and the relationship of their father to his brother Wood? (topic sentence)
• Explain two examples of similarities and two examples of differences.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what the differences reveal about the characters as individuals.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Brooke’s love for birds is shown through the swallow birds he keeps caged in his room, but they also reveal some important details about who he is and some challenging situations in life. What are these ideas and challenges? Why does he start keeping the birds in cages, and what eventually causes Brooke to let the birds go? What does the symbolism of the swallows have to do with the novel’s thematic concern with Guilt?

Write an essay that explains what these birds symbolize in As Brave as You. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted evidence.

2. Each generation of men in the Harris family has improved on how they deal with their emotions. What emotional conflicts do Genie and Ernie deal with during this novel? What evidence is there that they are learning better coping skills than their own father? What do these patterns have to do with the novel’s thematic concerns with Bravery and Masculinity and Guilt?

Write an essay that explains this pattern in the Harris men’s lives and shows its thematic importance. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted evidence.

3. The novel displaces the main characters from their inner-city neighborhood to live in an unfamiliar rural setting for a period of time. Why is the setting so significant in this novel? What is important about the rural setting besides its convenience for some of the plot elements? What is the significance of specific elements of this setting, such as the bar, the old house in the woods, Genie’s grandparents’ yard, or the flea market?

Write an essay that analyzes the significance of setting in As Brave as You. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the novel, citing any quoted evidence.