Binti

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. In the world of Binti: The Complete Series, society is fragmented into numerous tribal factions that are often at odds with one another.

• Compare the Meduse, Khoush, Himba, and Enyi Zinariya people. Why are there tensions between these groups? (topic sentence)
• What are the similarities among all these groups? What are their differences?
• In your conclusion, explore which factions thrive at the end of the trilogy, noting which ones have demonstrated the most Growth and how that might be the Key to Survival.

2. Though the Himba tend to be somewhat insular, Binti develops friendships outside of her clan’s immediate circle.

• Binti has relationships with Okwu (a Meduse) and Mwinyi (a member of the Desert People), which many Himba might view as strange. Why is that? (topic sentence)
• What kinds of critiques are levelled against Binti for having relationships with people from the Meduse and Desert People clans? Give specific examples.
• In your conclusion, assess whether the characterization of Binti’s relationships as “strange” is fair and, in doing so, discuss how The Intricacies of Race and racism have, historically, divided clans in Binti: The Complete Trilogy.

3. Oomza University is an even greater focus in Binti: The Complete Trilogy than the Meduse-Khoush War.

• What does Okorafor convey to the reader about the importance of intellectual curiosity? (topic sentence)
• How does the author use the structure of the trilogy to emphasize the importance of intellectual pursuits?
• In your conclusion, explain how, through education, Binti is able to shed roles imposed on her by tradition related to her gender and race. Do other characters in the trilogy experience similar release as the result of their intellectual pursuits?

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. How are women treated in the world of Binti: The Complete Trilogy? Do separate groups treat women differently? Consider each group described in the series, from the Meduse to the Khoush to the Himba. How is each group different in its treatment of women? How are they the same? In your conclusion, cite evidence from the text showing that, although certain groups may want to define people by their gender identity, Binti and other characters expose Gender as a Social Construction rather than a fixed or unchanging quality.

2. How does the theme of change and growth evolve from character to character in Binti: The Complete Trilogy? Why does Okorafor choose to represent change in such diverse ways? Analyze no fewer than 3 characters in the series and, with plot details, examine how each one develops the theme of adaptability or Growth as the Key to Survival.

3. How is the hair of different characters described in Binti: The Complete Trilogy? Taking hair to be a symbol that points to to the series’ larger themes regarding The Intricacies of Race and The Social Construction of Gender, compare the way Binti’s father and Mwinyi talk about their hair. How do you explain their perspectives, and what does this say about their connections with the Enyi Zinariya?