They Both Die at the End

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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer 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. Mateo and Rufus both change over the course of a day.

• How does each boy grow over the course of their End Day? (topic sentence)
• What events, activities, and conversations prompt change in Mateo and Rufus’s lives? Give at least three examples and use details from the text to support your ideas.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how these developments connect to the theme of Inescapable Mortality and Living Without Regret.

2. Several minor characters make appearances and encounter Mateo and Rufus throughout their End Day.

• What effect does their inclusion have on the story? (topic sentence)
• What are three ways that these minor characters’ stories illustrate the theme of Connection and Isolation in a Changing Society?
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss why it is important that these stories are interwoven with those of Mateo and Rufus.

3. Elements relating to Death-Cast, like the terms “Decker” and “End Day” and the Last Friend app, permeate society in this novel.