Okay for Now

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. Doug’s experiences change dramatically when he moves from Long Island to Marysville, New York.

• What messages about the role and power of place does the novel offer? (topic sentence)
• Explain why the setting is important for the events that occur in the novel and what impact the setting has on Doug’s character development.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain why you believe Schmidt chose Marysville as the setting for the novel.

2. Masculinity is often explored in the novel through Doug’s family, his school, and later in his encounters in society.

• How does the novel grapple with the definition of masculinity? (topic sentence)
• Describe the toxic masculine influences in Doug’s life and how they impact his definition of masculinity. Then, compare some of the positive masculine influences in Doug’s life and how they change his definition of masculinity.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Doug’s behavior changes based on the positive influences he meets in the novel.

3. Art is an important aspect of the novel, as Doug learns to connect with others based on his artistic renderings of Audubon’s drawings.

• How does the novel define art and how it impacts the artist? (topic sentence)
• Explain how art is a positive influence for Doug, what purpose it creates in Doug’s life, and how it helps him to make connections with others.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe others in the novel who are influenced or changed by art in some way.

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. At the novel’s conclusion, Schmidt indicates that Doug’s father changes for the better. Compare Mr. Swieteck’s character at the beginning of the novel to his character at the novel’s conclusion. How has Mr. Swieteck changed? What is the cause of the change based on clues from the novel?

2. How would Mrs. Windermere best be described? What influence does she have on Doug’s life? How is Mrs. Windermere a catalyst for some of the most important events that occur in the story? How might the story have been different had Doug not met Mrs. Windermere?

3. The first time Lil is sick, she tells Doug that only 1 in 4 people survive her condition. Lil leaves the hospital, but her condition worsens again. When Lil is in the hospital bed for the second time, she and Doug imagine that Lil is an Arctic tern and that Doug is another Arctic tern that landed next to her, ready to show her the way. Doug says he swears he can hear the sound of beating wings as he sits with Lil. What do you think Doug means when he says an Arctic tern will show Lil the way? Why might Doug have heard the beating of wings? Do you think Lil survived her ailment? What clues from the novel support your conclusion?