Feed

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. The protagonist of a story is the character whose objectives and choices drive the action forward. The antagonist is the character who tries to stand in the way of the protagonist’s wants and objectives. However, the protagonist is not always morally right or “the good guy,” and the antagonist is not necessarily a villain.

• If Titus, as the narrator of the story, is the protagonist, whom would you identify as the antagonist? (topic sentence)
• Making inferences based on Titus’s first-person limited perspective, discuss what Titus, as the protagonist, wants throughout the story. Who or what is working against Titus in getting what he wants? How does this antagonistic interaction change Titus? Use evidence from the text to support your claims.
• In your conclusion, consider what readers might learn from Titus’s story and how the mistakes and triumphs along his journey can help readers change their own lives. 

2. Satire is a literary device in which humor, mockery, and often exaggeration are used to express criticism of someone or something. Although Feed is dystopian and dark, it also uses satirical humor.

• How does the novel satirize teenagers and their priorities, particularly regarding trends and fashions? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, identify three significant moments in the text when fashion or trends are satirized. How does the author hold these instances up for criticism? What identifies them as satire?
• In your conclusion, explain why you think the author is satirizing teenage trendiness. What message do you think readers are meant to receive?

3. Violet is the only young person in the novel who is fully aware of the dangers of the feed and the dystopian society in which they live. She stages her own rebellions, but in the end, her rebelliousness kills her.

• Do you think Violet is upheld in the novel as a good model for resistance? Why or why not? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, use evidence from the text to analyze Violet’s various tactics for resistance. How effective are they? How does Violet’s rebelliousness compare to the uprisings happening around them?
• In your conclusion, consider how Violet might have rebelled differently. What might you do in her place?

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. Although the novel was published in 2002, it has become increasingly relevant as some of the anxieties it expresses about technology have become realities. Do you think Feed is prophetic or unnecessarily alarmist? Why? Compare evidence from the text to real-world examples of the way technology affects human lives, for better or for worse. Consider the effects on not only human psyches and relationships but also on the environment and world poverty.

2. One of the ways the author constructs a dystopian futuristic world is by creating a dystopian language that reflects the way that world evolved. Evaluate the invented slang, the common modes of speaking, the character traits implied by dialogue, and the way authority figures (such as Titus’s father or the president of the United States) use language either effectively or ineffectively. What makes the language a reflection of a dystopian world? How does it demonstrate society’s values, and do you think those values are misplaced? Why or why not? How do Violet and her father rebel against the way language has evolved? Use specific examples from the text to support your claims.

3. Review instances in the novel when Titus and his friends are shopping or spending money. What is the significance of consumerism in the novel? How does Titus feel about buying and spending money? How does Violet exercise consumerism differently? Compare and contrast the way Titus and his privileged friend group treat and talk about money with the way Violet discusses poverty. What does money mean to different characters in the novel? How does the power of the corporations manifest throughout the narrative?