The Blind Side

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 to support your claims.

1. Lewis recounts several particular games that represented turning points in football strategy.

• Which games were most important in changing football strategy, and how did they impact the game’s evolution? (topic sentence)
• Describe two of the most important changes in football described in the book, then explain how those games changed the way football is played today.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you believe football is still evolving and changing.

2. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy invite Michael to move in with them early in his Briarcrest career.

• What does Lewis suggest motivated Sean and Leigh Anne to connect with Michael? (topic sentence)
• Describe the reasons Sean and Leigh Anne wanted to connect with Michael. Then explain how their motivation was influenced by their socioeconomic background and belief systems.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you think Leigh Anne and Sean had pure motivations for taking in Michael.

3. Consider the non-linear structure of The Blind Side.

• Why does Lewis choose to tell Michael’s story in a non-chronological fashion, and what is the impact of his decision on the story? (topic sentence)
• How does weaving in a second narrative about professional football, also not in chronological order, help the reader better understand Michael’s story?
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the story might have had a different impact had it been told in a different way.

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. Lewis explains that left tackles needed a particular set of physical characteristics to fulfill their function of protecting the quarterback. Why is the left tackle position important? What are the qualities that are required for the left tackle position? How do the physical attributes of a left tackle enable him to perform his job? Why might a left tackle be described as uncommon or one-of-a-kind?

2. In football terms, the blind side refers to the side the quarterback cannot see. More broadly, the blind side refers to something one does not see coming until it is upon him or her. How can the symbolic meaning of the “blind side” be applied to experiences other than football in the book? How might Michael, Leigh Ann, and Sean all have been blindsided at one point?

3. Throughout the book, Lewis draws attention to institutional racism both in Memphis and at Ole Miss. What are the examples in the book of institutional racism? To what extent does the evolution of football provide a model for how to implement systemic change more broadly in society?