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64 pages 2 hours read

Naomi Novik

A Deadly Education

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

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Essay Topics

1.

Compare and contrast Galadriel and Orion. What differences do they have? What similarities? What are the roles they’ve been given, and how do those roles function within the larger social situation?

2.

Explain why El and Orion are able to connect so well despite their seemingly opposite personalities.

3.

Consider the Scholomance as a character within the book. Discuss the indirect and direct characterization of the school. Discuss the school’s motivations and values. How does the school itself influence the events of the novel?

4.

Write about the social hierarchy within the school and the wizarding world. Make connections between their hierarchy and ours.

5.

Discuss the theme of self-sacrifice in the novel. How does the novel describe characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves? How does it portray those who are not? Do you think the novel values self-sacrifice?

6.

El experiences discrimination or marginalization on several fronts: magical, social, and racial. Explain how El’s experiences have shaped her view of society and the world.

7.

In many fantasy novels, there is a protagonist who must confront a destiny that has been laid out in a prophecy, like the one uttered by El’s great-grandmother. Compare and contrast this prophecy to one in another text. Consider the differences between the levels of publication of the prophecies (public vs. private); how do these factors impact the development of the narratives?

8.

Think about how the motif of “hard work” is used in the novel. Are mental and physical types of work valued in the same way? El performs physical labor to create and store mana to power her magic. What values or characteristics are symbolized by this?

9.

The Scholomance is a world that operates largely without traditional currency. Discuss the function of trading and bartering within the novel.

10.

In an interview, the author stated that the Scholomance is “a truly horrible place [...spending] years locked up in the dark, with answers to your lessons appearing in letters of flame, with no teachers, no contact with the outside world. It’s a horrible idea.” Analyze and explain the effect the relentlessly dangerous and terrifying setting has on the development of the characters and the plot.

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