Ceremony

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. Consider the ways in which Emo holds white people in high esteem and disparages Indigenous culture.

• How does Emo’s admiration of white America manifest in his appearance and mannerisms? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages in the novel describing Emo and discuss how they illustrate this internalized racism.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how Emo’s hatred of Tayo relates to his emulation of white America.

2. Consider the importance of women in Ceremony.

• How do women impact Tayo’s journey? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast how Night Swan and Ts’eh interact with Tayo, using at least 1 passage about each to support your claims.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss what the role of women in Tayo’s healing journey suggests about the role of women in Laguna Pueblo society.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least 3 main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider Betonie’s home in relation to the theme of Adapting Tradition to the Present. How do his surroundings reflect his attitudes and worldviews? Why does Silko place him on a hill overlooking Gallup, specifically? As you write your essay, include and cite at least 5 quotes regarding Betonie, his home, or Gallup to focus your discussion.

2. Consider the structure of Ceremony. It is unusual for a novel to weave different stories and perspectives together without any demarcation. How might the structure of Ceremony relate to its themes of The Power of Stories and/or Adapting Tradition to the Present? What Laguna Pueblo notions about language and storytelling might the novel’s structure reflect? As you write your essay, include at least 3 quotes to illustrate your argument—moments in the story where a flashback overtakes the present day, a verse section is interjected, or a perspective shift occurs.