A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea

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. Early in the biography the audience learns that Doaa almost drowned early in her life at the age of six.

• How does Doaa’s fear of drowning inform the decisions she makes during the course of her journey? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples of Doaa’s decisions being formed around her near-death experience at six.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether Doaa was justified in her fears of drowning or not.

2. While in Syria, Doaa decides she does not intend to marry. Even after meeting Bassem, Doaa still does not intend to marry.

• Why does Doaa agree to marry Bassem in Egypt? (topic sentence)
• Explain why Doaa does not want to marry, why she feels uncomfortable with Bassem’s proposal, and why she ultimately agrees to marry him.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you believe Doaa should have married Bassem and why.

3. In the biography, Doaa and her family are very close.

• How do Doaa and her family support one another? (topic sentence)
• Give examples of how Doaa’s extended family supports her and her family in Syria. Then, provide examples of how Doaa’s immediate family supports her. Finally, explain how Doaa supports her own family in return.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why you believe Doaa and her family are so close.

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. Doaa experiences many troubles in her home country of Syria and abroad as she attempts to find a place to call home. How does the book use global events to provide a context for Doaa’s journey? In what ways do global events explicitly affect Doaa’s life? What political and socioeconomic conflicts arrive in Doaa’s experiences? What role does drought play in the book? How do the actions of other countries directly influence Doaa’s actions? What steps should be taken to assist people in Doaa’s situation?

2. Doaa first describes her passion to become a policewoman in the book to describe to the reader what she believes, at a young age, her sense of purpose is. How does Doaa’s perspective on her purpose change over the course of the book? What events have a direct impact on Doaa’s sense of purpose? How does Bassem play a role in changing Doaa’s perception of her purpose? What does Doaa ultimately conclude she intends her purpose to be?

3. The short epilogue provides insight into Doaa’s life after the events of the narrative. How does the epilogue change the perception of Doaa’s future and the journey she has made? By the epilogue’s conclusion, what can the reader assume about Doaa’s experience from that point on? How is her experience in Sweden drastically different from her life in Syria?