After The First Death

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Debating Book Bans”

In this activity, students will sharpen their analytical skills in a debate regarding the question: Should controversial books like After the First Death be banned in schools?

In the Washington Post article “Parents Want Book Banned in Schools,” Robert Cormier said that it wasn’t a surprise that parents of Fauquier County wanted one of his books banned; what did surprise him was the fact that, of all his books, they wanted After the First Death banned.

For many years, Cormier’s books have been the frequent subject of criticism: The Chocolate War was the most challenged books of 2004, according to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom; his book Fade was ranked #65 on the ACLU’s list of “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000,” and The Chocolate War was ranked #4.

What are the arguments on the banning of controversial books like After the First Death? In this activity, you’ll engage with your classmates in a debate on this topic, using After the First Death as the focal point of your argument. Form two teams and complete these steps with your peers:

• First, your team should research the stances on this debate, both in favor of and against book banning. As a starting point for your research, review “Pro and Con: Banned Books” or similar articles.
• Next, organize your team’s argument, including rebuttals. Construct your argument in clear, concise points, and be sure to draw examples related to After the First Death to support your position. You can review Rise & Shine Debating’s “7 Tips for a Great Rebuttal” for guidelines on crafting your rebuttal. 
• Debate! Each team will present their arguments, supported by relevant facts and statistics. Then, each team will have the opportunity to offer up a rebuttal.

After presentations are complete, this rubric might be used as a guideline in evaluating each side’s performance.

Teaching Suggestion: Before students begin their research, it may be beneficial to review ground rules for debate, using a debate club guide such as this one. It may be helpful to review class rules and policies for sensitive handling of content and appropriate, effective speaking and listening strategies. Student can review the rubric for evaluation before the debate as another way to help them organize their arguments.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. All of the characters in After the First Death act out of a desire to survive or a desire to protect others.

• Based on events and character reactions, which is suggested as the stronger impulse: One’s own desire to live or one’s need to protect others? (topic sentence)
• What are some of the characters’ actions that support your topic sentence? Analyze and discuss at least 3 examples from different points in the novel. Use details from the text to substantiate your answer.
• In your conclusion, summarize the way in which these competing impulses are driven by the fact that Death Doesn’t Discriminate.

2. After the First Death is written in alternating timelines and perspectives.

• Why might Cormier have written the book in this way? (topic sentence)
• How does this technique help to develop each of the novel’s themes? Identify and discuss at least 1 example for each theme.
• In your conclusion, evaluate the impact of alternating timelines and perspectives on the reader’s ability to absorb the overall message of the novel.

3. General Markhand is willing to put Ben’s life in danger to end the situation on the bridge.

• Why is General Markhand is willing to do this? (topic sentence)
• What traits and actions help to demonstrate that for Markhand, this is a realistic and believable course of action? Analyze and discuss at least 3 examples from various points in the novel.  
• In your conclusion, explain how this action speaks to General Markhand’s relationship with Ben, and briefly connect the theme Death Doesn’t Discriminate.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. In Part 1, Ben feels the newspaper article describing the hijacking misrepresented the actual event; specifically, it suggests Ben is a hero, a characterization with which he disagrees. How might the article have skewed events to make Ben out as a hero? What other details from After the First Death may have been altered in this news article? In a structured essay with text examples, discuss the ways in which perception impacts characters’ choices and emotions, and connect this idea to the theme Beliefs Have Power.

2. After the First Death explores the problems with existing in an “echo chamber,” in which one’s views are repeated and reaffirmed without debate or critical questioning. What is the novel’s overall message regarding the echo chamber concept? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain the message being conveyed and cite examples from the text in which an “echo chamber” is especially impactful. Evaluate the clarity of this message for readers, and connect the echo chamber idea to the theme There Are Two Sides to Every Confrontation.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. In Ben’s sections of the novel, which of the following best describes the tone of his first-person narration?

A) Distant

B) Urgent

C) Frantic

D) Angered

2. Though never explicitly stated, with which illness is Ben struggling?

A) Bipolar disorder

B) Schizophrenia

C) Post-traumatic stress disorder

D) Obsessive-compulsive disorder

3. The masks worn by the hijackers have a distinctive look. What do they look like?

A) Hoods of white material with blue around the eyes, nose, and mouth

B) Hoods of black material with green around the eyes, nose, and mouth

C) Hoods of blue material with orange around the eyes, nose, and mouth

D) Hoods of black material with red around the eyes, nose, and mouth

4. Which situation has the strongest impact on Miro’s questioning of his own beliefs?

A) He has conversations with Kate that expose him to new ideas that contradict everything he’s learned.

B) He is horrified when Artkin dances with the dead child, making him second guess everything he knows.

C) He sees a white dove flying past the bus, and believes it is an omen that he should take a more peaceful approach.

D) He remembers his mother’s advice, which contradicts his current actions: “Violence is never the answer.”

5. Which statement best describes Artkin’s attitude toward human life?

A) He thinks the lives of his homeland’s people are precious.

B) He sees value in the lives of religious people; secular people are worthless to him.

C) He sees little value in human life beyond his own.

D) He values the lives of his immediate friends and family and will defend them at all costs.

6. Which of the following details is the strongest example of an internal conflict that embodies the theme There Are Two Sides to Every Confrontation?

A) Kate’s views compared to Miro’s

B) Inner Delta’s conflict with the hijackers

C) Ben’s analysis of his “good” self and his “bad” self

D) The children’s conflict with the hijackers

7. What adjective best describes General Markhand’s feeling about seeing Ben for the first time since the bus incident?

A) Neutral

B) Eager

C) Afraid

D) Sorrowful

8. Which of the following is likely not one of the reasons why General Markhand pauses before heading to Brimmler’s Bridge?

A) He is scared of what he might find at the bridge.

B) He feels responsible for what happened to Ben.

C) He understands the horrors Ben witnessed and wants to provide Ben the chance to react.

D) He is momentarily distracted by empathy for Artkin’s cause and motivations.

9. Why doesn’t Raymond initially eat the candy offered to him by Artkin?

A) His parents warned him to never take candy from strangers.

B) He is allergic to most sweets.

C) His parents don’t allow him much sugar.

D) He has an upset stomach.

10. Which of these ideas best explains the bus’s symbolic representation?

A) Conflicts, both internal and external

B) Kate’s conscience

C) Artkin’s fury

D) The innate evil of terrorism

11. Why does Miro characterize Artkin as a “superb actor” in Part 2?

A) He can easily switch from cheerful to sinister.

B) He is actually a complex man, despite violent acts.

C) He fools authorities into thinking that he’s an American.

D) He disguises his voice to sound more threatening to the children.

12. What does Kate realize about the nature of innocence?

A) Innocence is a useless trait: It couldn’t save the children on the bus from harm.

B) Innocence is complicated: The children on the bus are innocent, but Miro is also innocent.

C) Innocence is a ruse in adults: Everyone has blood on their hands.

D) Innocence is the most beautiful thing in this world: Even joy and happiness are tainted by fear and violence.

13. Why does Kate ultimately forgive Miro?

A) Kate sees Miro’s attempt to save one of the children.

B) Kate feels love for Miro, a feeling that she can’t help.

C) Kate decides that all of God’s creatures are worthy of forgiveness.

D) Kate understands that his environment made him into a monster.

14. Which of the following statements best relates how the story ends for Miro?

A) Miro vows to plan terroristic acts until the intended goals are met.

B) Miro understands that it is even more important now to carry on the work that Artkin began.

C) Miro promises to visit Artkin’s grave every day until the day he dies.

D) Miro sends money to Artkin’s mother to help his impoverished family survive.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. Cormier reveals the aftermath of the bus hijacking for Ben in Part 1 before recounting the climactic events. What is the aftermath for Ben? How is this revelation early in the story impactful to the reading experience?

2. What do bridges symbolize in the novel?