The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative

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. How does King’s text refute stereotypes about Indian identity?

• What are the stereotypes about Indians that King identifies, and how does his text try to challenge these stereotypes? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least three ways that King’s anecdotes, commentary, and examples create a more complex portrait of Indian identity. Draw your examples from throughout the text.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this topic relates to the book’s theme of The Struggle Between Image and Reality.

2. What is the rhetorical function of King’s use of repetition in this text?

• How does King use repetition and what purposes does it serve?  (topic sentence)
• Offer examples of at least three different uses of repetition in the text.