Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

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 text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Under apartheid, Noah is governmentally categorized as “colored” (Chapter 2).

• Define the specific meaning of “colored” in apartheid South Africa. What does this mean for Noah, practically speaking? (topic sentence)
• How did this system of categorization affect Noah’s sense of Identity and Race in Apartheid South Africa?
• In your conclusion, discuss how Noah defines the conventions of this label—as a child growing up, but also as an adult.

2. In Chapter 7, Noah tells the story of Fufi, his childhood dog.

• What is the purpose of the story of Fufi? (topic sentence)
• Citing evidence from the text, explain what Noah means when he says that no one betrayed him more than Fufi.
• In your conclusion, explain how the story of Fufi shapes Noah’s understanding of relationships.