77 pages 2 hours read

Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Thought & Response Prompts

These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the novel.

Personal Response Prompt

Imagine you have to prepare an emergency bag that you can grab at a moment’s notice. What items would you put in the bag? What is your reasoning for selecting these items?

Teaching Suggestion: This question invites students to think about the items that are most important to them in a survival setting. It links directly to the Post-Reading Analysis.

Post-Reading Analysis

Consider the emergency pack Lauren prepares for emergencies. What items are in this pack? Why does she select these items? Now recall your answer in the Personal Response Prompt; does your pack differ from Lauren’s? How so? Based on her pack, would you change any of the items in your pack? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to review the items they originally stated in their answer to the Personal Response Prompt from a survival point of view . If suitable, use this question as a discussion, and use the link below to review the important items in creating emergency kits.