- Is Tara's mom a feminist? Argue why or why not using support from the text.
- Tara reflects on her reading and re-reading of the Book of Mormon. She writes, "In retrospect, I see that this was my education, the one that would matter: the hours spent sitting at a borrowed desk, struggling to parse narrow strands of Mormon doctrine in mimicry of a brother who'd deserted me. The skill I was learning was a crucial one, the patients to read things I could not yet understand" (62). How is what Tara is doing an education? How would it help any student of any subject? Predict how it will help her.
- Analyze Tara's father in terms of ecofeminism. What does he control? What does he wish to control? How does his view of women and the Earth inform Tara's actions and the actions of his family? Think of his naming of the mountain.
- The Westovers do not seek medical care for serious injuries, including, among others, a severe brain injury, a serious laceration, and a potentially deadly burn. How does skepticism inform their actions? What does dominating one's injury say about one's connection to the body and life? How might this inform Tara's journey?
- MISC: If I have not asked a question that you want to answer, feel free to create a response to the text that has been on your mind. Be sure to keep it analytical, tied to the texts/theory, and concise
Sample Solution