The ABC Murders

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. Christie presents Poirot, who is Belgian, as a foreigner and outsider in English society.

• How does Poirot’s outsider status both help and hinder his work as detective? (topic sentence)
• Identify and analyze three scenes that support your idea in which Poirot’s outsider status impacts his work, for better or for worse.
• In conclusion, what does the novel suggest about life as an immigrant in England during this period?

2. The dichotomy between age and youth frames several key elements within the novel.

• In what ways does Christie highlight the advantages that come with age while highlighting the weaknesses of youth? (topic sentence)
• Identify three scenes involving age and youth and analyze their thematic implications in support of your topic sentence.
• In conclusion, how does Christie’s novel question the assumption that youth is superior to old age?

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. In his foreword to the novel, Hastings indicates that he is departing from his usual first-person narration to include several chapters in third person. What is the impact and significance of this decision? What would be lost if Hastings had not included the chapters narrated in third person? How do they shape the reader’s experience?

2. Poirot points out that the series of linked murders brings people together who otherwise would never cross paths. Consider the set of circumstances surrounding each of the murders. What, if anything, do they have in common? In which ways does each of them center on the search for domestic harmony? What is the novel’s overall message about that search? Be sure to support your analysis with textual evidence.