The Waste Lands 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. Who is Roland? Why is he teaching Susannah to shoot a gun? Is Roland cruel when he makes Susannah think of her past to make her angry enough to shoot straight? Why can Roland not shoot a gun? What happened to Roland? When? What is Roland's mission? Where is he going? For what reason? What will happen when he get there? How does he plan to get there?

2. Who is Susannah? What caused her to need a wheelchair? Who is she married to? ...
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