

Encourage Critical Thinking with These The Lady or the Tiger? Essay Prompts
Challenge your students to think deeply about Frank R. Stockton’s timeless short story The Lady or the Tiger? with this set of 15 analytical essay prompts. Designed to promote close reading and critical analysis, these questions encourage exploration of key themes such as love, jealousy, justice, power, and human nature—making them ideal for literature lessons, assessments, independent writing, or class discussion.
Students will consider how Stockton critiques the king’s system of “poetic justice,” how the princess reflects her father’s semi-barbaric nature, and how the arena operates as both a literal stage and a symbolic representation of fate and choice.
What’s Included:
★ A full list of all 15 essay prompts
★ Individual printable handouts for each question, with space for planning and extended writing
★ Editable PowerPoint version for flexible digital use in the classroom
Sample Prompts:
➤ How does Stockton use the concept of “poetic justice” to highlight the flaws in the king’s system of punishment?
➤ In what ways does the princess mirror her father’s “semi-barbaric” nature, and how does this affect the story’s outcome?
➤ How does the arena function as both a setting and a symbol in the story?
Key Features:
✔ Focused, text-based prompts to encourage deeper analysis
✔ Supports exploration of characterisation, symbolism, theme, and structure
✔ Editable PowerPoint slides for easy classroom display or adaptation
✔ Suitable for ELA lessons, short story units, or study of ambiguous endings
Equip your students to move beyond surface understanding and tackle Stockton’s enduring question with confidence: Which came out of the opened door—the lady, or the tiger?
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