55 pages 1 hour read

Karen Hesse

Witness

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2000

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Essay Topics

1.

Hesse uses zoomorphism, in which animal attributes are given to human characters. Which characters are compared to animals, and how does this comparison help the reader understand those characters?

2.

While most narrators in Witness tell their story using interior monologue, Reynard, Johnny, and Constable Johnson seem to be addressing an audience. Who are each of the characters addressing, and why are they written in this way?

3.

In Witness, there is no specific reference to time passing or dates, other than Independence Day and Armistice Day. How does Hesse use nature to illustrate the passage of time?