We Are Displaced

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. Women’s rights women’s experiences in war are recurring topics throughout the narrative.

• What is the author’s desired outcome in sharing her own and other refugees’ stories about the experience of being refugees? (topic sentence)
• Compare a few of the stories in the collection in their approach to describing women’s experiences of being refugees.
• In your closing sentences, evaluate whether the strategy of sharing personal narratives about female refugees is effective.

2. One of Yousafzai’s central themes is how displacement interrupts young people’s learning.

• How do the authors overcome many obstacles in pursuit of their education, and why is this important to them? (topic sentence)
• Select two testimonials that mentioned the theme of interrupted education and compare their experiences and outcomes.
• In your closing sentences, determine whether these women experienced successful outcomes as a result of their unswerving dedication to their education.

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. The women in this book experienced displacement in different ways and for different reasons. Explore three women’s journeys and the reasons why they had to leave their homes. Compare and contrast their situations and outcomes. As you compose your essay, cite specific quotes to support your analysis.

2. The author’s parents and brothers experienced the Taliban’s presence differently. How did Yousafzai and her family members react to the growing crisis? In what ways were their experiences of the insurgency different? As you compose your essay, incorporate examples from the text to strengthen your answer.