Crispin: The Cross of Lead

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 novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Bear sings a song about how Lady Fortune, representing luck or chance, cannot be trusted.

• To what extent are luck and chance responsible for Crispin’s fortunate outcomes?
• Identify three or more scenes where Crispin overcomes significant obstacles and explain the role of chance in each scene.
• What do Crispin’s experiences suggest about the relationship between luck and choices? Summarize your ideas in your concluding sentence or sentences.

2. Throughout the novel, Avi’s characters speak in ways that differ from most modern English speakers.

• How does Avi make his text seem old fashioned and historical while keeping it understandable for modern readers?
• Identify three passages that demonstrate Avi’s use of archaic-sounding language; how do they differ from the way modern speakers would express the same ideas?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly describe the way that the novel’s use of formal-sounding or historical language affected your reader experience.

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. The clergy—those who pray—and the nobility—those who fight—constitute two of the strongest influences in Crispin’s life, from local authorities Father Quinel and John Aycliffe up to the king and pope and everyone in between. Yet these two lines of authority enjoyed only an uneasy alliance at best. In several well-developed paragraphs, compare and contrast the way religious and political influences shape and seek to control Crispin. What seems to be the ultimate goal of each system? How do they support each other, and what tensions exist between them? How does Crispin’s relationship with each change over the course of the novel? In your conclusion, consider which institutions exert comparable influence in modern society.

2. Great Wexly provides the setting for the second half of the novel. Overwhelmed by the city’s magnificence, Crispin’s awe-struck narration is filled with sensory details. Yet Crispin’s fondness for the city seems to fade until he resolves to leave and never return. In several well-developed paragraphs, consider how Crispin’s view of life in the city shifts over time. What do his experiences in the city reveal about feudalism at its best and worst? In your conclusion, consider the symbolic significance of Crispin’s departure from the city. What would a similar gesture look like today?