Respond to the following questions. Remember I am looking for knowledge of and thinking about the story.

1. How does the narrator influence the story? Who is he?

2. Describe the main characters of the story. How does the narrator describe them? How do you feel about them?

3. What goal does each of these character have? What conflicts or frustrations does each meet with in trying to attain his or her goal?

4. How does each character respond to the challenges they face? How do they react to their setbacks and endeavors?

5. What happened to the Litvak next?

6. What does what the Litvak says--"If not higher"--mean?

Above is a link to the story "If Not Higher."

Below is a link back to the handout about the literature essays and how they are graded.