Ghost

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 bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Initially, Castle has no interest in the track team, but that changes.

• What does the track team mean to Ghost/Castle? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least 3 quotations and explanations to illustrate your arguments.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what helps Castle change his mind about the team.

2. As the story progresses, Castle learns about himself, faces his past, and begins a new journey.

• Where is Castle/Ghost running toward himself? (topic sentence)
• Include at least 3-4 quotations with citations and reasoning to prove your arguments.
• In your conclusion, explain how Castle illustrates the theme of You Can’t Escape Yourself.

3. The Defenders work hard at practice and at life.

• How does Coach motivate his team? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least 3 details and reasons to develop your ideas.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss a life lesson readers can take from Coach.

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. Consider the scene in the Chinese restaurant. Why is this outing important to the team? How does Coach build community among the new runners? What does each person share? How does Castle feel at the beginning of the trip, and how does he feel at the end?

2. Throughout the book, Castle runs, both at track practice and other times. Multiple times, Coach points out the theme You Can’t Escape Yourself, including when he says, “[Y]ou can’t run away from who you are, but what you can do is run towards who you want to be” (Chapter 9). How does Castle try to escape himself metaphorically and literally? At what points in the story does Castle run away from himself, and when does he run toward himself? How does Castle demonstrate self-acceptance?

3. Reflect on Castle’s shoes. What do Castle’s new track shoes symbolize? How does he get the silver bullets? Why does he choose those shoes? How does Coach teach him a life lesson using the shoes? What do the shoes mean to Castle?