Uprising

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

1. Consider the many ways the novel shows women being discouraged from entering “male-only” spaces.

• Besides legally prohibiting it, what are some of the ways that society creates barriers to the female characters’ entry into spaces reserved for men? (topic sentence)
• Explain which spaces seem to be reserved for men, and offer evidence from the text to show that despite their desire to be included in these spaces, the female characters are discouraged from entry. Then, describe two or three methods that society employs to discourage the women from entering these spaces. Offer evidence from the text to support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show the connection between these barriers and the novel’s themes of Coded Spaces and Rules of Engagement and The Dismissal of Women as a Group.

2. Consider how clothing functions as a symbol in Uprising.

• What ideas about the characters and their world are communicated through clothing in this novel? (topic sentence)
• Offer examples of details and language from the novel that create patterns in the way clothing is presented. Show how these patterns suggest that the clothing stands in for ideas beyond its literal function.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show the connection between the symbolism of clothing and the novel’s themes of Coded Spaces and Rules of Engagement and The Dismissal of Women as a Group.

3. Consider the competing messages about Romance and Dreams in this novel.

• How does Uprising show that there are both good and bad sides to dreams, especially dreams of romance? (topic sentence)
• Give examples of language and details in the novel that show the dangerous side of dreams and romance, as well as examples that show the beneficial side.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what idea about life the novel is conveying through its treatment of Romance and Dreams.

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. Consider the importance of language and of the theme Communication and Language Barriers in Uprising. Yetta and Bella speak Yiddish and Italian as their first languages and must acquire English language skills as adults. They do this at different times, and Bella even learns some Yiddish before she learns English. Jane, by contrast, speaks English as a first language and, because of her education, has also learned some Italian. How do the various languages spoken in Uprising both unite and divide the characters? How do these languages create a sense of identity? How do they affect the characters’ access to opportunity and power? Write an essay that makes and defends a clear claim about the ways in which characters’ language skills impact their relationships and quality of life. Support your ideas with evidence from throughout the text.

2. Consider the ideas communicated by both fire and fire imagery in Uprising. The novel features a historically significant fire that takes the lives of two of the main characters. Prior to this, there are direct and indirect references to fire in the novel’s imagery. What does this fire have to do with the themes of In America, Money Is God; The Dismissal of Women as a Group; and Romance and Dreams? How do the early references to fire contribute to the reader’s understanding of the symbolic role that fire plays? Write an essay that makes and defends a clear claim about the symbolism of fire in Uprising. Support your ideas with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the text. (Be sure to cite quoted evidence in MLA format.)

3. When Harriet arrives to speak with Bella about the fire, Bella tells her that the story really begins with the strike. Why does she say this? Why does Bella feel the need to tell Harriet so much background information before she tells the story of the fire itself? How does the way she tells this story influence Harriet and Harriet’s understanding of the fire? In what sense is Harriet a stand-in for the reader, and how is the structure of the novel meant to convey a message to the reader about both the historical and personal importance of the strike? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the relationship this novel is proposing between the strike and the fire. Connect this relationship with one or more of the novel’s themes. Support your ideas with evidence from throughout the text.