Tai-Pan 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. Dirk Straun is the hero of this story. What does it mean to be a hero? How does Dirk fit the definition of a hero? What are some of his heroic acts?

2. How does the setting, both physical and historical, affect the plot of Tai-Pan? What is the importance of picking this specific time in history to set the novel in? Could the story have worked in a different historical setting? Why or why not?

3. At the beginning of the novel, what is the financial situation of The Noble House? How did the...
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