The Quiet American Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. Write an opinion paper on censorship of the press during a time of war. Do ordinary citizens need to know what is going on in the war? Do they have a right to know? The French were releasing only good news and censoring any reference to a defeat. What effect might it have had on the American public had they known what was really going on inside French Indochina? Is it possible that Americans would have told their leaders not to get them involved if they had known the full story? ...
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