Pachinko

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. Over the course of your response, cite details from the novel that serve as examples and support.

1. There are several sibling relationships explored in Pachinko, including the one between Isak and Yoseb and between Noa and Mozasu.

• What is the role of sibling relationships in Pachinko? (topic sentence)
• Compare and contrast Noa and Mozasu’s relationship with Isak and Yoseb’s. How is it different? Use examples from the text to show these similarities and differences.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how these similarities and differences connect to the theme of being multiethnic in a monoethnic society.

2. Sunja’s life at the end of Pachinko is very different from how it was at the beginning.

• How is Sunja’s life different from what it was like when she was growing up in Yeongdo? (topic sentence)
• What changes happen in Sunja’s life and how does she adapt? Support your examples with quotes from the text.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what Sunja has learned from these changes.