Take My Hand: 12 Analytical Essay Prompts

These twelve prompts are designed to move beyond summary and into sustained analysis of Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s Take My Hand. Each prompt targets a specific narrative element—character change, causality, relationships, contrasting scenes, themes, symbols, structure, foreshadowing, or the ending—and grounds its claims in the novel’s 1973 and 2016 timelines. Use the evidence leads to anchor your argument in the text, and consult the linked theme and character pages for additional context. The goal is to produce a thesis that is arguable, specific to this novel, and supported by close reading of the scenes listed.