And of Clay Are We Created

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. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the story over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider the kinship Rolf feels with Azucena.

• Why does Rolf identify with Azucena, and is that identification rooted in real similarities? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast Rolf’s situation with Azucena’s, identifying at least one difference and one similarity. Use evidence from the text to support your claims.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to state how Rolf’s identification with Azucena connects to the theme of Empathy and Humanity’s Place in the Natural World.

2. The narrator says that Rolf uses the physical presence of his camera to distance himself from the most harrowing journalistic cases he encounters, transporting himself to a different “time.”

• What does this statement suggest about the relationship between time and pain? (topic sentence)
• Identify three additional passages in the story that support your claim and analyze them with reference to your topic sentence.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to discuss what this statement about time and pain suggests about either Memory as Agency and Helplessness or Empathy and Humanity’s Place in the Natural World.

3. Consider Allende’s use of sensory imagery (sight, smell, sound, touch) throughout the story.

• What sort of mood and setting does Allende’s use of sensory imagery establish? (topic sentence)
• Choose three passages with particularly vivid imagery and close read them with reference to your topic sentence.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to discuss how the story’s sensory imagery relates to the theme of Acceptance of Mortality.

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. Though the character names, the focus on Roman Catholicism, and the odes to vast mountainous landscapes suggest that the country in this story is in Latin America, the country itself is unnamed. Why does Allende do this? Does it facilitate greater empathy for the characters? Might it point towards the universality of certain human experiences (e.g., death)? Alternatively, does it detract from the story’s particular social criticisms? Discuss what the absence of specificity adds to or takes away from the story as a whole.

2. In literature, the “man against nature” conflict is an external struggle that articulates the friction between humankind and our environment. Is the conflict in this narrative purely of the “man against nature” variety? Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

3. Rolf is perhaps the most dynamic character in the story, stubbornly struggling to save Azucena before finally accepting the reality of her impending death. Discuss the psychological journey Rolf experiences over the course of the narrative. What role does memory play in his development and/or deterioration? What literary techniques does Allende use to illustrate Rolf’s inner conflict and growth?