Choose ONE of the following topics and write an
analytical essay using any stories from the course.
1. Compare and
contrast how nature and/or animals are used in 2 of the stories to help develop
character and/or theme.
3. Compare and contrast how adult-child relationships are
represented in 2 of the stories.
4. Compare and contrast how setting (indoor and/or
outdoor) is used to symbolize character conflict in 2 of the stories.
5. Compare and contrast how the authors of 2 of
the stories work to develop a reader’s sympathy for characters whom they might
otherwise judge harshly.
7. Compare and contrast first-person narration in 2 of the
stories and determine the extent to which you feel each story’s narrator is
trustworthy, being specific as to why or why not.
8. Here is a statement of theme: Making the transition
from a state of innocence to a state of experience is fraught with tension but
is also ultimately empowering. Show how this statement is true in relation to 2
of the stories.
9. Choose a major symbol in each of 2 stories (they don’t
have to be the same symbols, of course) and examine how that symbol reflects
character and/or theme.
you should have a
clear and deliberate structure: that is, your essay should have a brief introduction,
in which you generally introduce your topic and articulate your thesis
statement; body paragraphs, starting with topic (or guiding) sentences, in
which you make analytical claims and provide adequate textual evidence (in the
form of direct quotations) to support your analytical ideas; a very brief conclusion,
in which you summarize your ideas
