Answer one of the following questions in an organized, well-developed
and well-supported essay. You should have a discernible thesis, quotes
from the text(s), and coherent paragraphs (should any of these
requirements worry you, please come see me in office hours). Please do
not use any outside sources.
1) Who are the outsiders in Flannery O'Connor's fiction, and what role
do they play in her fiction? Contextualize the concept of "outsiders"
in American culture of the 1950s.
2) How is Adrienne Rich's voice in "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law" a
radical one? In the context of what you know about the period, how do
her "snapshots" reflect or reject gender ideals of the time? (Because
you are writing about poetry, you will probably want to consider
metaphor, imagery, form, etc. in your essay.)
3) Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a hospital ward for the mentally
ill. How does Kesey's own definition of insanity--which you should make
clear in your paper--affect character, plot, and theme in the
novel? Is anyone cured? Who? How? If not, why not? Your essay
should contextualize the novel in its time period.
Length: 5-6 pages (at least
110 lines of text)
Due: October 7, 2003
(first drafts due September 23, 2003)
Paper Guidelines. All papers will be word processed and
double-spaced
in 12-point Times New Roman with standard 1”- or 1 ¼”-inch
margins.
You may use either Word or WordPerfect. Papers may not be typed. If you
do not have a computer, please take advantage of the campus computer
labs,
which I will be happy to show you at any time during the semester. You
are expected to use MLA citation style, but if you are more familiar or
comfortable with a different style (e.g. APA), please let me know. Your
paper has to have a title.
You do not need a cover page. Use this heading (double space
everything):
Miami U. Student
Dr. Johnson
ENG 143
23 September 2003
Death of the American Dream
Begin text here, and
continue to write five more pages of text.