Mexican WhiteBoy

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

1. The characters in Mexican WhiteBoy face a wide range of challenges. Some are unique to individual characters, while others involve overcoming larger societal problems.

• What are challenges faced by three different characters? (topic sentence)
• Describe the issues and how they manifest themselves in the characters’ lives, using specific examples from the text.
• In your concluding paragraph, connect your analysis of these challenges to the theme of Physical Manifestations of Emotional Pain.

2. Hope is a consistent theme throughout Mexican WhiteBoy.

• What does the narrative say about the idea of hope? (topic sentence)
• Consider when the presence or absence of hope shapes the characters’ experiences.
• In your concluding paragraph, connect your discussion to the book’s broader theme of False Hope versus Real Hope.

3. Several variations on family are portrayed in Mexican WhiteBoy.

• What defines a family in this novel? (topic sentence)
• Consider the following possibilities: the people who live together in a house, a shared last name, the credo they live by, or the values they share
• In your conclusion, explain how families fit into the book’s overall theme of The Limiting Nature of Homogeneous Groups.

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. As a character, Danny is transformed. His brief but tumultuous journey changes him as a person. One lens through which we can trace Danny’s journey is that of gratitude. Danny goes from being, among other things, resentful, even of objectively good opportunities, to, in the end, being grateful for everything positive in his life, including the simple and small. This transformation is evident in many instances in the novel. Identify 3-5 of Danny’s most pivotal experiences in which he processes gratitude, and discuss the role its absence or presence plays in his life.

2.In addition to the primary story arc, several subplots drive the various characters. In three storylines or arcs, identify and explain the relevant components, such as its conflict and its climax and resolution. Analyze what each says about the character whose plot line you’re discussing. How does each character and subplot encapsulate, collide with, or interact with the dominant themes in Mexican WhiteBoy?

3. Sofia shares with Uno her realization that she has lost the optimism she once had for her life. Uno, in contrast, is more hopeful, even though he appears to face greater adversity. What is the source of Uno’s optimism? Consider Uno’s circumstances, including the influences of gender, family, and ethnicity, in your discussion of Sofia’s realization.