The Gates of November: Chronicles of the Slepak Family 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. Discuss the relationship between Solomon and Volodya and analyze Volodya's belief that his father never understood him.

2. Choose two Russian leaders discussed in "The Gates of November" and compare their styles of leadership and impact on Russian society and the world as a whole.

3. Discuss the role of the KGB or Russia's secret police in Volodya and Masha's life and the life of other refuseniks.

4. Compare the experience of Chaim Potok's family with that of the Slepak family.

5. Examine the causes and history of anti-Semitism and discuss how governments...
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