Quiet American Essay task & topics
Your task: pick one essay topic (can be a Type 1 – character/relationships or
Type 2 – themes). You will be writing the essay in class next Thursday, lesson 4.
1. Begin by carefully “unpacking” the topic:
a. Is there a quote? Who? Where? When?
b. What are the “key” words/phrases? What emphasis do these suggest you
focus on? Do you agree, or can (or should!) you dispute the sense of the
topic?
c. What events/actions will you base your discussion around? Can you start
to order these? What will you talk about first? What’s your strongest
point/main idea?
2. Write a plan which includes a draft of your introduction (U/STPOVHow); and
dot-points of the examples you’ll use in each paragraph. Can you think of the
order? Do you need quotes? Search for the “right” ones. Your conclusion should
indicate where your argument “takes” your reader … It’s often good to have a
quote from the latter stages of the book to emphasize this.
Character/Relationships (Type 1)
1. “If you are human, you have to take a side.” How is this true, for the characters in
The Quiet American?
2. “My fellow journalists called themselves correspondents; I preferred the title of
reporter. I wrote what I saw. I took no action - even an opinion is a kind of action.”
Is Fowler’s self-assessment correct?
3. “She’s no child. She’s tougher than you’ll ever be. Do you know the kind of polish
that doesn’t take scratches?” Does either man understand Phuong?
4. “I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused …”
What drove Alden Pyle?
5. “They killed [Pyle] because he was too innocent to live. He was young and
ignorant and silly and he got involved.” What is it that gets Pyle killed?
Theme (Type 2)
1. “It’s not a matter of reason or justice …” What is it that makes people become
engagé according to Graham Greene?
2. The Quiet American shows us how dangerous it is to presume to know what’s
best. Discuss.
3. “You can have her interests. I only want her body.” Neither Fowler nor Pyle really
understands love. Discuss.
4. “He’ll always be innocent, and you can’t blame the innocent.” Which causes more
problems – Pyle’s innocence, or Fowler’s “detachment”?
5. “We are fighting all your wars, but you leave us the guilt.” What does The Quiet
American tell us about guilt?