The Death of Ivan Ilyich

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. Throughout the story, Ivan fulfills or exceeds the expectations of his bourgeois society without really connecting with those close to him.

• What makes it difficult for Ivan to connect with others? (topic sentence)
• In support of your topic sentence, identify and discuss Ivan’s experiences that serve as connections for each of the three stages of his life: his childhood, his adulthood, and his dying.
• In your concluding sentences, briefly explain the message conveyed about human relationships and the threat of Misplaced Priorities.

2. Consider Ivan’s relationship with Praskovya throughout the story.

• Why does Praskovya Fedorovna both want Ivan Ilyich to die and not to die? (topic sentence)
• Find and analyze two or three examples in support of your idea for each of Praskovya’s perspectives.