The Sparrow

Use this activity to engage all types of learners while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“I Was Born for This!” 

In this activity, students will complete a close reading of the first contact scene and analyze its importance in terms of understanding Emilio, the context of missionary activity, and The Sparrow as a whole.

After he witnesses Emilio encountering the Runa and meeting Askama for the first time, D.W. later wonders if Emilio is destined for sainthood. This critical moment of first contact is important not just for the mission but also for Emilio personally. Find the passage that begins approximately 8 pages from the end of Chapter 21 and ends with the closing lines of that chapter.

First, read this passage to yourself and record your response, both emotionally and intellectually. Consider the following guiding questions:

• What emotions does the text elicit in this moment? What literary and rhetorical devices assist in this?
• How does this moment compare with what comes after for Emilio?
• What does Emilio mean when he says, “I was born for this!”? How does this line gain significance as the novel continues?

Then, in small groups, discuss 3-4 dimensions of this scene. These could include literary devices like tone and characterization or historical and/or religious contexts. Make a list of examples from this scene that fit into each of the dimensions you create. Be able to verbalize why this scene and your chosen dimensions are important to understanding the novel. Ultimately, as a group, determine what function this scene serves in the larger arc of The Sparrow.

Each group will present the dimensions they determined and share at least one example of each. Finally, consider how all of the groups’ lists and examples demonstrate the significance of the scene; as a class, write a thesis about this scene and its importance to the overall arc of the story.

Teaching Suggestion: This scene is important because it is the first time the Jesuit party meets the Runa, making first contact. Students might address the individual importance for each of the characters. They should also consider how Emilio, emerging from poverty in La Perla to becoming a foremost linguist, sees his life coming to a peak as he first encounters the Runa. Recognizing how he is brought to such a height will also help them to understand his character as he exists in the present.

Differentiation Suggestion: Instead of collaborating on one thesis as a class, students might compose their own based on the groups’ dimensions and examples. Individual thesis statements might then be used in essay writing, creative projects, or other prompts.

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. Emilio has juxtaposing ideas about faith pre- and post-contact.

• In what way does Emilio’s concept of faith post-contact differ most significantly from his concept of faith pre-contact? (topic sentence)
• Explain what faith means to Emilio at different points in his journey and how other characters may view faith differently because of Emilio (e.g., Vincenzo and John). Cite at least 3 specific examples from the text to support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your topic sentence to the theme of God’s Will Versus Human Volition.

2. Language plays a significant role throughout the novel.

• What overall message is conveyed through the motif of language? (topic sentence)
• Analyze and discuss at least 3 ways in which language serves as a motif in the novel. Choose your examples from a variety of places in the narrative and explain how each one supports your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of language as a motif to convey this message.  

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. Emilio has expectations and standards regarding music, prayer, and society upon meeting the residents of Rakhat. What is the impact of these expectations on his experience and the experiences of others? How might these standards prompt readers to react to Russell’s claim that the Jesuits never intended to cause trouble with the mission? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explore the effect of Emilio’s expectations and standards. Utilize at least 3 examples from the text and connect your argument to the theme of Ethnocentric Dilemmas.

2. Emilio grapples with his decision to become a priest throughout the story, reflecting on both his relationship with God and his relationships with others, particularly Sofia. In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, consider the theme of The Price for Following God through the lens of Emilio’s relationships. Include a strong, centralized thesis that draws on at least 3 examples from the text to support your argument.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. From what perspective is The Sparrow told?

A) First-person

B) Second-person

C) Third-person limited

D) Third-person omniscient

2. What is Vincenzo Giuliani’s primary goal early in the novel?

A) To clear the Jesuit name

B) To establish cause for legal repercussions

C) To help Emilio begin to heal

D) To advise against a return trip to Rakhat

3. Which of these motifs is symbolic of both hope and devastation in the novel?

A) Food

B) Music

C) Gardens

D) Sex

4. Which rationale best explains crew members’ various changes of heart late in the novel?

A) They become increasingly enamored with the Runa and want to learn from them.

B) They come to understand they will not be returning home.

C) They grow exhausted from their duties and become complacent.

D) They realize that fate pulls the strings, limiting their agency.

5. Which character has a belief system that offers the strongest juxtaposition to Emilio’s while having a background that somewhat parallels Emilio’s?

A) Marc Robichaux

B) Sofia Mendes

C) John Candotti

D) Anne Edwards

6. Why are the crew members disappointed in their initial meeting with the Runa?

A) The Runa are cryptic and unhelpful regarding D.W.’s illness.

B) The Runa have a trading system that inadvertently promotes warfare.

C) The Runa are a primitive species without socialization or language. 

D) The Runa are not the source of the singing that prompted the mission.

7. Why is D.W.’s sickness particularly devastating for the crew members?

A) The crew has grown close, and D.W. has come to serve as their father figure.

B) The crew understands that his illness foreshadows tragedy.

C) The crew realizes too late that the illness is very contagious.

D) The crew wanted, above all, to avoid transmitting illness to the Runa.

8. Whose fate is the most ironic?

A) Alan’s

B) Vincenzo’s

C) John Candotti’s

D) Askama’s

9. Why does Supaari want to be named Founder?

A) He wants the job of ensuring population control.

B) The role comes with great wealth, fame, and power.

C) He cannot have children unless he rises to that station.

D) The position was sought but not obtained by his father.

10. Which theme is developed when members of the crew choose to see Supaari’s wit and charisma as positive attributes?

A) God’s Will Versus Human Volition

B) The Obligation to Expand Faith

C) Ethnocentric Dilemmas

D) The Price for Following God

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What message did Russell likely want to convey to readers, based on the context of its writing? What message might readers take away today? How do modern takeaways compare to what Russell initially envisioned?

2. What might be suggested by the smoothness of how the mission comes together? Is this believable? How is this believability mitigated by the characters’ response to the logistical ease of organizing the mission?

3. How and why does Vincenzo draw on the history of Jesuit missions when approaching Emilio’s recovery? How does Russell address Ethnocentric Dilemmas in the mission’s interaction with the Runa and the Jana’ata?  

4. What is the significance of Emilio’s first encounter with Askama and the Runa? What does it mean within the larger context of the novel’s theme of The Price for Following God?

5. Each of the characters is trained in a specialty (e.g., Emilio as the linguist, Anne as the doctor, etc.). Thinking about the team as a whole, is there an area of specialization that was left out? How might that gap have affected what happened?