THREE DAY ROAD: PROMPTS TO WORK WITH
On May 18th, you will be given 3 of these prompts, of which you will choose one to write a full
essay in class on the 18th. In groups, you will review each of these prompts and begin
brainstorming to develop and introductory paragraph for each prompt.
PROMPT#1:
p.1 brainstorm:
1. Conflict arises when a character’s (or characters’) beliefs or desires are
incompatible with the reality he/she faces. To what extent is a central theme
developed in Three Day Road in response to such a conflict?
X becomes:
Bitter/hostile
Gets punished
Is further alienated
When faced with the harsh reality of war, an individual's personality and behaviour is
strongly influenced, leading to the dilemma of maintaining one's culture or assimilating
to the dominant society. When the person chooses to maintain culture rather than
assimilate, the result is an inability to gain recognition or comraderie, thus leading to
being ostracized from the group. In Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road, Xavier refuses to
give up his beliefs in his Native culture, and as a consequence, he can never fully fit in
with the other soldiers in the war. In fact, he eventually becomes bitter and hostile with
the others, gets punished for his lack of assimilation, and is even further alienated in the
end.
What part of the prompt is missing in this introductory paragraph?
p.2 brainstorm:
In the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, the central conflict revolving around
Elijah and his desire to balance his Native culture with the reality of being immersed in
the white culture plays a huge role in developing the theme that when a minority belief
or desire become threatened by the dominant society, the sense of morality is drastically
affected for the marginalized group, causing them to act in extreme ways and entirely out
of character in order to find some sense of balance.
1-establish he’s a minority/establish his characteristics before changes; establish his
beliefs/desires
2- establish dominant society’s power over him- and threat of losing beliefs/desires-proof
of causes of change
3 – establish to what extent he is affected/changed, etc ( proof of changes having
occurred)