Fatty Legs: A True Story

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

1. Margaret-Olemaun repeatedly reads and loves the famous book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Fatty Legs briefly discusses the major plot points of Carroll’s story and mentions some of the important characters, like Alice and the Queen of Hearts.

• How does Margaret-Olemaun’s experience mirror Alice’s? How does it differ? (topic sentence)
• Select details from the text that parallel Alice’s story. Consider both plot and character development when selecting examples. Explain how each one is similar and/or different from Carroll’s text.
• In your conclusion, describe what you think Olemaun learned from her experience.

2. Margaret-Olemaun talks about “the outsiders” throughout the book.

• Who are the outsiders, and how do the outsiders reveal their unfamiliarity and disdain for the traditional ways of life in Indigenous homelands? (topic sentence)
• Select examples from the text that support the historical background information you received about residential schools, their purpose, and other indigenous people’s experiences there. Consider differences in clothing, food, and educational priorities.
• In your conclusion, explain how some if not all of these practices may have been detrimental to indigenous children’s self-esteem.

3. Much of the book reads like fiction, particularly character development for the nuns.

• How does the story develop both Sister MacQuillan (the Swan) and the Raven as characters? (topic sentence)
• Provide examples from the text that show the characterization of the two nuns. Your examples should include behavior, style of dress, word choice, and any other ways the story develops these characters.
• In your conclusion, explain why using fictional elements in a work of non-fiction is a useful tool for non-fiction writers.

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. Many of the book’s central figures and the moral of the story are expressed in bird imagery. The main nuns are the Raven and the Swan, the Brothers are the owls, and Margaret-Olemaun herself is the wren: “A wren can be just as clever as a raven,” she says (Chapter 6). How does the avian imagery impact the narrative? Think about the target audience and modes of storytelling. How effective is this narrative style?

2. Do you think that Margaret-Olemaun receives an education at the school in Aklavik? What are the most important things she learns at school (whether they are related to the school’s curriculum or not)?

3. What does the book suggest about life after attending residential school? How might attending one of these schools impact an Indigenous person for the rest of their life? Consider what the book reveals about Margaret-Olemaun as an adult and the authoritative information you’ve learned throughout this unit.