The Tattooist of Auschwitz

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. Lale and the other victims of Birkenau must bend their morals to survive their ordeal in the camps.

• Why does morality have a different value in a situation like a concentration camp? (topic sentence)
• What are at least three notable examples from the text when a character must compromise one of their core values? Explain each value and describe how it is compromised.
• In your conclusion, describe how compromising their morality is one of many Costs of Survival that the prisoners must pay to avoid slaughter by the Nazis.

2. In The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka suffers sexual and emotional abuse during her time in Auschwitz.

• What does Lale mean when he refers to Cilka as a “hero”? (topic sentence)
• Do you agree with Lale’s assessment of Cilka as a hero, or do you think she is simply a victim of Nazi cruelty? Support your answer with at least three compelling reasons.