Many of the stories we are reading deal with issues of tradition. For some characters, tradition stifles personal growth and development; for others, it helps establish a sense of self-worth. Think about how tradition affects the characters and plots we have encountered in our assigned readings. Using one of the assigned stories, write an essay in which you examine how an author uses literary devices to create a specific theme about tradition.
Some possibilities include (but are not limited to) how tradition prohibits personal growth, how tradition connects people to others, how tradition can create a hostile and/or unhealthy community, how tradition distort or confuse reality.
Many of the stories we are reading focus on family relationships. Whether the focus is controlling mothers, resentful daughters, or overbearing fathers, many of the stories deal with the various issues associated with family. Using one of the assigned stories, write an essay in which you examine how an author uses various literary devices to create and emphasize a theme about family.
Some possibilities include, but are not limited to, how an author defines what it means to be a good parent, how family can stifle or impede growth, how familial love can be perverted or abused, how family can be a safety net (of sorts),
Guidelines:you must use only one of the assigned stories as the primary text for this assignment. Do not choose one of the stories from the “Working with Literature” section unless it is specifically named on the schedule. You may choose from “I Stand Here Ironing,” “Two Kinds,” “Everyday Use,” “My Son, the Fanatic,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,” “The Lottery,” “Rocket Night,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” “The Story of an Hour,” or “The Storm.”
Do not use any outside sources.
Your essay must be at least 1000 but no more than 1200 words (three to four pages). Essays that do not meet the word count requirement will not earn a passing grade.
Essays must be in written in MLA format and include a works cited page. Errors will result in a 5-25 point deduction.
A typed, 300-word freewrite, including a working thesis statement is due in class to the discussion board for review a week before the essay’s due date.
