Home of the Brave

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. Home of the Brave is written entirely in free verse, from the first-person perspective of Kek.

• How does the poetic structure of the novel help readers see the world from Kek’s perspective? (topic sentence)
• Select three of the most effective poems from the text and reread them closely. How do these poems reveal the advantages of reading Kek’s story in verse? How does each poem describe the nature of Kek’s experience as a refugee in a way that prose could not?
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to summarize how free verse expresses the novel’s themes of either Holding on to Hope or Adjusting to a New Home and Culture.

2. Consider how Gol’s role in Kek’s life changes throughout the novel.

• How does Gol’s influence on Kek’s life change as Kek struggles to fit into his new home? (topic sentence)
• Identify three passages in which Gol’s influence on Kek’s actions is most clearly revealed and discuss these in relation to the topic sentence. 
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to state what Gol’s changing role in Kek’s life suggests about Kek’s Adjustment to a New Home and Culture.

3. Each part of Home of the Brave begins with an African proverb.

• How do these five proverbs align with Kek’s journey in his new country? (topic sentence)
• In a story that is so much about Assimilation into American culture, why would the author choose to weave African proverbs throughout the novel?
• In your conclusion, describe how the proverbs keep Kek connected to his roots and how they contribute to his own understanding of other core themes in the novel like Family and Friendship and Hope.

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. Assimilation is one of the main themes of the book. What types of difficulties do refugees and immigrants like Kek face as newcomers to the United States? In your response, compare Kek’s experiences with that of other refugees or newcomers in the book—for example, Kek’s cousin Ganwar and Kek’s ESL classmates Jaime and Nishan. What makes the process of Assimilation easier on Kek? What makes it more difficult?

2. Is Ganwar correct in his belief that he will never find a home in American culture? Select three moments in the text when Ganwar resists Assimilation—what, specifically, are the reasons he cites for feeling like a permanent outsider? In your analysis, describe the role that Holding on to Hope plays in Ganwar’s attempt to find happiness.  

3. Discuss the guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder that impacts Kek and Ganwar as they struggle to adjust and Assimilate to American life. To what extent do the events of their past stand in the way of their futures? Structure your essay around the pivotal traumatic events that Kek and Ganwar each face. What is the nature of these traumatic events? How do Kek and Ganwar respond differently to their own trauma? Explain how shared trauma among Family and Friends can both bind people closer together and also drive them apart.