76 pages • 2 hours read
J. D. VanceHillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2016A 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.
Essay Questions
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.
Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions
Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.
1. At the heart of the story, Vance recalls that his Mamaw and Papaw left Appalachia to pursue the American dream.
- Why do Mamaw and Papaw want to achieve the American dream? (topic sentence)
- Identify 3 ways that Mamaw and Papaw try to provide a particular lifestyle for their children.
- Are they successful in their attempt to allow their children to live their own American dreams? In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly discuss the way in which this outcome is ironic.
2. Vance’s influential relationships include those which he shared with his mother and Mamaw.
- Compare and contrast Vance’s relationships with his mother and with Mamaw in a general introductory statement. (topic sentence)
- In what ways are his relationships with each female figures similar? In what ways are they different? Discuss 3 examples which support the similarities and 3 that demonstrate the differences.
- In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly discuss how these relationships shape his adverse childhood experiences.
