The Silence Of The Lambs

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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. A text’s atmosphere is a feeling created through the details and language used to describe the setting.

• How does Harris establish an uneasy atmosphere of suspense? (topic sentence)
• Give at least 3 examples of details, images, or phrasing that support the suspenseful atmosphere. Explain how they accomplish this task.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the tense atmosphere supports the theme The Manipulation of Others for Good and Evil.

2. As one of few women in a male-dominated field, Clarice has to hold herself to higher standards than her male colleagues. 

• What is the main challenge that Clarice faces as a woman in a male-dominated field? (topic sentence)
• Give at least 3 examples of Clarice having to work harder than her male colleagues in order to do her job. Connect these examples with her sense of agency and ability. What traits allow her to succeed?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the additional difficulties encountered by Clarice demonstrate the theme of Performing and Repressing Identity in Order to Gain Acceptance From Others.

3. In the world of catching serial killers, information is power.

• What is thematically significant about the signatures of Buffalo Bill’s crimes? (topic sentence)
• Give examples of pieces of information that a character shares or withholds in order to manipulate another character. Comment on how these characters’ motivations are similar to or different from each other.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the sharing or withholding of information supports the theme of Performing And Repressing Identity for Acceptance From Others or Manipulating Others for Good and Evil.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least 3 main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Which “insane” person elicits the most sympathy throughout the text? Hannibal, Jame, Alan, and Miggs, as well as other characters we encounter, have all been deemed mentally unfit by medical institutions. Consider how they interact with the world around them as well as the circumstances that led to their categorization. Have they been offered help? Did they accept it? Do their present actions suggest that they have a chance at rehabilitation? Connect their so-called “insanity” either to the theme of Performing and Repressing Identity for Acceptance From Others or The Manipulation of Others for Good and Evil. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cited any quoted material in MLA format.

2. What warning does Harris convey about how we treat those with the potential to hurt us? Consider Chilton’s treatment of Hannibal, Clarice’s and Crawford’s treatment of Hannibal, and Catherine’s treatment of Jame. Connect these interactions to the theme of Manipulating Others for Good and Evil. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cite any quoted material in MLA format.

3. Do you consider Hannibal or Jame to be the “scarier” character? What makes each of them an effective villain, monster, or enemy (choose your terminology carefully)? Consider plot events, aspects of both personalities, and their context within a patriarchal society. Explain how the dynamic between the two men supports one or more themes in the novel. As you compose your response, support your assertions with details and language from the text. Cite any quoted material in MLA format.