The Tale of Despereaux

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. Chiaroscuro means the artistic balance between light and darkness.

• In what ways does Roscuro display signs of light and darkness in his character? (topic sentence)
• Provide two examples in which Chiaroscuro represents light and two ways in which he represents darkness.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Chiaroscuro is an appropriate name for the character.

2. Despereaux and Roscuro’s tails are both severed over the course of the story.

• What do the reactions of the two characters indicate about their personalities? (topic sentence)
• Explain the similarities and differences in the scenes where Roscuro and Despereaux severed their tales.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what the reactions of the two characters indicate about their personalities.

3. Consider the characters that demonstrate empathy through their shifting perspectives.

• How does the novel explore the theme of empathy? (topic sentence)
• Explain the purpose of empathy in the novel and which characters display empathy and why.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain why the author chose to use empathy as a theme for the novel.

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. Despereaux recounts his own unfolding story when braving the dungeon on his own terms to give himself strength. Consider how Despereaux draws strength from his own story. Which parts of your own story give you strength when things are difficult? Describe the strength you glean from your own story and explain why it gives you strength in two or three paragraphs. In your essay, make a connection to the theme Creating Your Own Destiny Through Storytelling. Support your comparison with specific evidence from the passage. 

2. Gregory believes he is a prisoner of the dungeon even though some would call him its “master” because he is able to navigate with a rope. The situation is ironic because the rope helps him but also confines him. Consider other ironies that exist in the characters’ lives and describe whether they are hindrances or opportunities and make a connection to the theme Nonconformity and Unlikely Heroes. Provide at least two examples from the novel providing specific quotes from the text to support your analysis.

3. In the coda, Kate DiCamillo writes, “I would like it very much if you thought of me as a mouse telling you a story, this story, with the whole of my heart, whispering in your ear in order to save myself from the darkness, and to save you from the darkness, too.” In an essay of two main points, explain what DiCamillo means when she makes this statement, and why DiCamillo chose to write her statement at the end of the novel. Substantiate your answer by citing relevant information from the text.