The Knife of Never Letting Go

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 throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Todd says in the novel that a man without a filter is “chaos walking.”

• What does Todd mean when he describes men without a filter as “chaos walking”? (topic sentence)
• Explain why it is important for the men in New World to have a filter, what Todd means when he describes those without one as “chaos walking,” and how Todd’s statement relates to the novel’s theme of Imposing Order on Chaos.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Noise has created chaos in the New World rather than unity.

2. In the novel, the mayor plays an important role as an authoritarian leader.

• What does the mayor do to control the people of Prentisstown? (topic sentence)
• Explain how the mayor uses the banishment of literacy, his attempts to control neighboring villages, and the rituals imposed on coming-of-age boys to maintain control of Prentisstown.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the mayor’s tactics compare to tyrants worldwide.

3. The mayor believes that order can be imposed on Noise.

• How does the mayor attempt to control Noise? Do you think he will be successful? (topic sentence)
• Explain why Noise is damaging to the men in the New World and how chanting and formulas are encouraged to control Noise, then explain whether the mayor is correct in his assertion that Noise can be controlled.
• In your concluding sentences, describe how you would attempt to devise a resolution for Noise.

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. Todd is drawn to Viola because of her silence. What role does Viola play in the novel? How is her role significant to understanding traditional ideas about masculinity? How does Viola view masculinity differently from Todd? How do the differences in perspective cause the characters to interact with their environment differently?

2. What is the significance of the title The Knife of Never Letting Go? What is it that Todd has difficulty letting go of, and how does that affect him? Why is it relevant that the author uses a knife in the title rather than a gun or another weapon? How does the symbol of the knife continue throughout the novel?

3. Why is it significant that Todd cannot bring himself to kill Aaron? Though the village succeeded in making Todd a killer, did they succeed in filling Todd with hatred as they had intended? What influence do the brainwashing and Prentisstown attitudes have on Todd? What about Todd’s upbringing may contribute to his unwillingness to join the mayor or kill Aaron? Why is Todd’s refusal to kill Aaron important to his role as the protagonist?