The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club

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. Although their actions are illegal under Nazi German laws, The Churchill Club’s members are undeterred in their mission to resist their occupier.

• What is the general reaction of The Club’s friends and family to their resistance activities? (topic sentence)
• Select one person/group of people close to the members of The Club in the text and provide an example of their reaction.
• Does this person/group of people support the concept of Justified Disobedience in Wartime? Why or why not?

2. Throughout the text, each of the characters is affected by the Nazi invasion.

• How does war affect the youth of Denmark generally? (topic sentence)
• Select one of the youth and briefly describe the effect of the Nazi German invasion on their development throughout the text.
• How does this character’s development connect to the theme of War and the Loss of Innocence?

3. By the end of WWII, the members of The Churchill Club were considered to be heroes.

• Why are The Club’s actions considered to be heroic? (topic sentence)
• Describe one example in the text where The Club’s members are applauded for their heroism.
• How is this heroism impacted by the general Trauma of WWII that the members feel? Do they consider themselves heroes? Why or why not?

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. Eigil is the only Jewish boy of The Churchill Club. How are his experiences with The Club different from the others? Consider his experience in the broader experience of Jews living in Denmark during that time. In what ways did Nazi German occupation affect their lives?

2. Compare and contrast Norway and the UK’s wartime actions with those of Denmark. What do Norway and the UK symbolize for Knud? How do their responses shape Knud’s goals for The Churchill Club?

3. Analyze Knud as a key figure with a character arc and whose traits are defined directly and indirectly. What are his outstanding personality traits? What do you think are his strengths and weaknesses, and how are these depicted in the text? What are the values and motives that drive him? How does he change over the course of the book?