Buried Onions

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. Throughout the novel, Soto explores the concepts of Determinism and fate.

• What does Soto’s novel say about the idea of Determinism? (topic sentence)
• Select one of Eddie’s peers from the novel and find three examples where this character’s fate is pre-determined.
• Is Eddie’s fate also pre-determined in the novel? Why or why not? Summarize your thoughts and rationale in your concluding sentences.

2. Conversely, Soto questions the concept that low-income communities are able to choose their futures.

• How does the cycle of poverty affect a person’s Choice? (topic sentence)
• Find an example from the novel where Eddie chooses a path that is notably different from his community.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize the ways in which Eddie’s choices differ from his peers in the context of the cycle of poverty.

3. To live in his community, Eddie must adopt a resilient attitude.

• In which ways is Resilience essential for surviving in Eddie’s community? (topic sentence)
• Identify a moment in the novel where a character possesses Resilience.
• Does Eddie’s resilient attitude equate to a peaceful, nonviolent future? Why or why not? Summarize your thoughts and rationale in your concluding sentences.

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. What role do the female characters play in this novel? Does gender play a particular role in Eddie’s narrative? Why or why not?

2. What is the importance of place in the novel? Pick three Fresno scenes

that best represent the tumultuous world Soto creates. How does the setting of Fresno shape Eddie’s Choices?

3. Consider the symbol of the onion throughout the novel, and this symbol’s relation to the themes of Determinism, Choice, and Resilience. Why does Eddie bookend the novel with this symbol? What does the onion represent for Eddie?