The Knife of Never Letting Go

Analyze the role of masculinity in the novel. How do the characters demonstrate differing views on masculinity? What is the ultimate mark of masculinity by the novel’s conclusion? How does the concept of Noise contradict traditional male roles? Why do you think the author chose the men to be afflicted by Noise and not the women?

Teaching Suggestion: Because the discussion topic covers a variety of scenarios throughout the novel, it may be beneficial for students to brainstorm ideas before responding. Students might find it helpful to reference the novel and their notes as they think about the questions.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who may benefit from initial preparation and idea generation with whole-text tasks might work in small groups to discuss masculinity in the novel, taking notes from the discussion to be used as key points when responding to the prompt. If using the prompt as a written assessment, students might first organize the key points into a thesis/3-main-point outline before drafting.