The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

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. Mason spends time reflecting on Benny, the discussions they had, and his death.

• How does Mason experience and process grief? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples from the novel in discussing and analyzing the way Mason experiences and processes grief.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize what you believe Mason and his family needed to experience to heal after Benny’s death.

2. Through research, Mason discovers aurochs and immediately becomes fascinated with them.

• What is the significance of the aurochs in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Detail what aurochs are based on the text’s description; then explain why Mason feels connected to them. Incorporate examples of Mason’s direct and indirect characterization in your discussion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize why aurochs become an important symbol for Mason after the destruction of the root cellar.

3. Mason struggles to understand himself and the way he is seen by others.

• How does Mason see himself at the beginning of the novel? (topic sentence)
• Analyze how Mason feels about his intelligence, his friendships, and the way others view him. Incorporate details and examples from the story to support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the extent to which others influence the way Mason sees himself.

Full Essay Assignments

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

1. How does Annalissetta Yang’s understanding of herself and her disabilities shift Mason’s perception of her? What does he think about Annalissetta’s views? How is Annalissetta’s view of herself connected to Mason’s changing perspective of himself? Use examples from the novel to support your answer.

2. Ms. Blinny allows Mason to use the Dragon, a machine that records his words and reads them back to him. What is the symbolic significance of the Dragon? What does the Dragon offer to Mason? How does the Dragon change the way Mason views himself?

3. What impact does Calvin’s friendship have on Mason’s life? How does Calvin change the way Mason views himself and the world? In what ways do Calvin and his family provide something Mason needs, and how does this fulfillment compare to other sources of fulfillment for Mason?