Essay Topics for Monster, by Walter Dean Myers
Plan and execute an essay that responds to one of the following prompts. Make sure to:
 Organize your ideas.
 Include an introduction, body, and conclusion.
 Provide plenty of supporting details from the text to demonstrate understanding.
 Show unique insight into the major themes of the text.
 Reference at least 2 secondary sources.
Length Requirement: 3-4 pages
MLA Formatting (double-space, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1” margins)
Due Date: Sunday, May 31, 2015 via EdModo
NO LATE ESSAYS
Worth: 300 points
Rubric: Your essay will be graded holistically using the following elements.
 Clear statement of purpose
 Relevant and strong examples
 Focus
 Degree of insight
 Grammar, spelling, punctuation
 Formatting
1. A metaphor is the indirect comparison of two unlike things. Explain the metaphor of the
“monster” in Walter Dean Myers’ Monster and why the author gave it this title. What is a monster as
defined by the text? Provide examples to support your ideas.
2. Write an essay in which you describe the internal conflicts that Steve Harmon confronts
throughout the novel, Monster. What are those conflicts? How does he cope with the challenges he
faces by the end? Provide evidence to support your ideas.
3. What is Walter Dean Myers’ purpose or message in this novel? By the end of the story, what is it
that he wants his readers to know? Are there multiple messages? Provide plenty of textual
examples to support your point.
4. To what extent is Monster an accurate portrayal of the lives of inner-city youth? What are some
things that urban kids deal with each day, and how do we see those same themes in the novel?
Make sure to provide plenty of details to support your assertion.
5. Write an essay in which you answer the question on the last page of the book: ‘What did she see
that caused her to turn away?” Get into O’Brien’s point of view. Did O’Brien think Steve was guilty
even though he wasn’t convicted? Did she feel sorry for him? Provide plenty of examples to support
your ideas.
6. What does it mean to be black in the novel Monster? Explain Steve Harmon’s experience as an
African-American male in Harlem, New York. Is being “black” a perception or a reality? Explain the
symbolism with details from the book.