A Walk to Remember

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 throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. One of the major conflicts in the novel is the difference between those who are religious and those who are secular.

• What is the conflict between religious and secular groups in Sparks’s novel? (topic sentence)
• Describe the attitudes of Landon and his friends toward religious people, and then describe Jamie and her father’s attitudes toward secular people, ending with how the community finds a balance of religious and secular ideas in the novel.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why you think Nicholas Sparks used religious and secular viewpoints to represent community differences in the novel.

2. A significant turning point in the novel is when Jamie asks Landon to become part of the play The Christmas Angel.

• What is the significance of the play, The Christmas Angel, in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Explain the parallels between Tom and Landon in The Christmas Angel, how the play impacts Landon’s thinking, and why the angel in the play reflects the novel’s plot.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the play was essential in building the relationship between Jamie and Landon.

3. When Landon learns of Jamie’s sickness, he begins to pray for a miracle. At the novel’s conclusion, Landon still believes miracles can happen.

• How does the concept of the miraculous play out in Sparks’s novel? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples from the novel to explain the miraculous things that happen to Landon and the community of Beaufort.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether Landon’s prayers were answered the way he wanted.

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. How does Sparks treat the subject of prejudice in the novel? Which characters are prejudiced? Which characters are more tolerant of differences than other characters? How does prejudice play an important role in the plot of the novel?

2. Why do you think Sparks frames the narrative of Landon’s 17th year with extracts from his 57-year-old self? What effect does this have on the reader’s interpretation of the novel?

3. Describe the way Jamie changes Beaufort, either directly or indirectly. How is Landon changed through Jamie’s example? In what ways did Jamie overcome the stereotypes associated with her? Why do you think Jamie made such a significant impact on the community? Why is Jamie’s influence more significant than that of her father, who shares the same values?