Elephant Run

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 bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Magwe and Nang represent two opposing views on the war and Burmese Independence.

• How are Nang’s and Magwe’s perspectives on colonization different? (topic sentence)
• Describe Magwe’s perspective on colonization, Nang’s perspective on colonization, and how each represents the attitudes of the Burmese people during World War II.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why Nang and Magwe are both justified in their perspectives on colonization.

2. Both Nick and Mya are alienated in the novel due to circumstances beyond their control.

• How do both Nick and Mya experience alienation? (topic sentence)
• Describe in detail why Mya is alienated and why Nick is alienated. Explain how their alienation creates a bond between them and how it creates conflict between the two.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why you believe the author chose to create the shared bond of alienation between Nick and Mya.

3. Hilltop is a unique and powerful character who is pivotal in solving some of the major conflicts in the novel.

• What is the source of Hilltop’s power? (topic sentence)
• Give examples that explain Hilltop’s power, why it is useful in the story, and why it is contradictory to the war conflict in the novel’s setting.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Hilltop’s power represents the author’s views on War and Violence.

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. Hilltop says to his old friend Sonji, “The soul does not have a nationality.” What does this mean in the context of the novel? Do you agree with Hilltop’s statement? What effect does the statement have on Sonji? How does Hilltop’s statement relate to the themes of Colonization and War?

2. What do elephants symbolize in the novel? Why are elephants important in everyday life to the people who live in Burma? What is the significance of Hannibal in his relationship with Nick and Jackson? Why is Hannibal important to the overall plot of the novel? What do Mya’s, Hilltop’s, and Jackson’s relationships to elephants indicate about their characters?

3. In what way do the major characters in the novel both mentally and physically reject the violence and brutality of war? Describe the attitudes of Nick, Jackson, Mya, and Hilltop in relation to the war. How do their attitudes compare to that of Colonel Nagayoshi? How are some of the attitudes toward war similar across cultural groups? What role does the idea of the senselessness of war play in the novel?