The Thomas Berryman Number 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. In the Prologue, readers find out that Jimmie Lee Horn was the first black mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. Horn was killed during a rally on the Fourth of July. Does the race of Jimmie Lee Horn have any impact on what readers may think is the reason he was assassinated? Does the mention of Horn's race cause readers to jump to conclusions since it did not necessarily have to be acknowledged so quickly?

2. Ochs finds out from his bosses that he is being sent to Long Island to visit the William Pound Institution. Ben Toy,...
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