SEEP Essay Prompt Choices for The Namesake
Choose one of the essay prompts below (from the SEEP booklet). Write a formal, literary essay
which addresses ALL aspects of the prompt. Submit your completed essay to Turnitin.com.
Submit all rough work (brainstorming, notes, rough versions, etc.) to the teacher.
Your essay can be between four and six paragraphs in length. If it is below 500 words, it will be
considered insufficient in Communication. A five paragraph essay should contain three
references (examples or quotations) to the novel per body paragraph.
Reread the comments from your other papers and The Great Gatsby essay to remind yourself
of proofreading, format, diction issues to improve. Please consult the teacher if you are unclear
about how to improve. Consider using one of the outlines in the SEEP booklet to help you
structure and organize your essay.
Outside Sources: should you consult a secondary source (website, book, etc.), you MUST cite
it to avoid plagiarism issues.
Note: the bolded words below are the teacher’s additions.
7. With reference to a work studied in this course, assess to what extent setting shapes or influences
a central character.
9. In a work studied in this course, to what extent does a character develop while attempting to
balance his/her ideals with the reality of the world in which he/she lives?
24. To what extent does a central character’s struggle in a complex world reveal elements of human
nature and/or the values of society in a work studied in this course?
29. The setting of a novel or play is the background by which readers come to know and understand
the characters and the author's ideas. For a work studied in this course, analyse the extent to which
setting affects a character's actions and reveals a theme.
38. In a work you have studied in this course, analyse how a central theme is expressed through a
character's success or failure in reconciling incompatible aspects of his or her life.
18. Evaluate the role of family in a character’s success or failure in a work studied in this course.
31. Analyse how the journey, whether literal or figurative, is employed to shape and / or reveal the
protagonist's character in a work studied in this course.