For this first paper, you will draw on the literature we have read in Unit 1-2: Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. The paper is not intended to be a research project, rather an opportunity to use the literature to support or to inspire a response. You may, however, include relevant information such as biographies of the writers from the Norton Anthology, details from the videos in Canvas, or information from the class lectures to enhance your literary analysis or interpretation.
Requirements
Write about the literature we have read and studied in Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and/or 5 of the class.
Write about 1000-1250 words, or about 4-5 pages.
Prepare your paper using MLA (Modern Language Association) format.
Directions
Choose one topic to develop into a paper.
Submit your paper via Canvas.
NOTE: Original, creative essay topics are always encouraged! If you have an idea for a topic other than the ones listed, email the professor to get approval for your topic.
Analysis of Short Works
The following prompts suggest themes and poems or short stories that exemplify those themes. If you chose one of the prompts below, use at least two different works of literature. After each prompt is a list of recommended works: that is, these are suggested, not required, and might help you to select what to include in your paper.
NOTE: Feel free to develop other prompts, or to mix and mashup prompts.
Based on the literature we have read, what are the characteristics of nature? What is the role of nature in people’s lives, or the relationship between nature and human beings?
Recommended literature: #320 [“There’s a certain Slant of light”] by Dickinson; #1096 [“A narrow Fellow in the Grass”] by Dickinson; #1668 [“Apparently with no surprise”] by Dickinson; “To Build a Fire” by Jack London; “A White Heron” by Jewett; “Life Among the Piutes” by Winnemucca
Based on the literature we have read, what should readers understand about death? About human mortality?
Recommended literature: “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night” by Whitman; #340 [“I felt a Funeral, in my Brain”] by Dickinson; “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Bierce
Based on the literature we have read, how do marginalized peoples fit into America? How do they define or create a voice for themselves and how do they feel defined or silenced by white mainstream culture?
Recommended literature: “Letter From a Freedman to His Old Master” by Anderson; “We are All Bound Up Together” by Harper; From “Life Among the Piutes” by Winnemucca; “Mrs. Spring Fragrance” by Far (Eaton)
Based on the literature we have read, what particular struggles do African Americans face in post-slavery America? How do they view their place and their legacy in America?
Recommended literature: “An Ante-Bellum Sermon,” by Dunbar; “We Wear the Mask” by Dunbar; “The Lynching” by McKay; “If We Must Die” by McKay; “Yet Do I Marvel” by Cullen; “Incident” by Cullen; “Theme for English B” by Hughes; “I, Too” by Hughes
Discuss the view of Africa as described by Black American poets.
Recommended literature: “Africa” by McKay; “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Hughes; “Heritage” by Cullen
If you had to pick a great American poet or author among those we have read, who would that be and why? Justify your answer with textual evidence from their writings, explaining why the theme(s) of their works and their style make their outstanding American authors.
Analysis of the Novel
These prompts require you to write about the novel Passing.
The title of the book is Passing. What does “passing” mean to the characters in the novel? Why do some characters choose to pass as white while others do not? What do they gain–or lose–by passing? How are readers meant to feel about passing?
How do Clare and Irene compare and contrast? Why did Larsen include these two women and what can be learned about their place in society or their relationship to their race by including these two female characters? (If you want, you might also write about Gertrude in contrast to Clare and Irene.)
What role do the Clare and Irene’s husbands have in the novel? Why did Clare decide to marry a white man and not reveal her racial background? Why did Irene marry a black man with a dark complexion? How do the husbands’ race and their attitudes toward race reveal the female characters?
What is the theme of the novel? What does it suggest about race and the society at the time it was written?
Creative Approaches
The following are suggestions for a creative approach to a paper; if you have other ideas, please run these by me before writing your paper.
IMPORTANT: If you take a creative approach, provide an opening paragraph or two that explains what you are trying to do in your writing and how it connects to the literature we have read.
Write some fiction, poetry, or nonfiction related to, or in response to, any of the themes or works we have read and discussed in class. Include an analysis or explanation of your own literature as an introduction to your original fiction.
Suggested Topic: Write a poem about death or about nature (Dickinson’s themes), echoing Dickinson’s style.
Suggested Topic: Write a sequel to Passing in which readers find out what really happened to Clare and why.
Write a letter to one of the authors we have read. Explain your feelings, reactions, criticisms, or praises in regards to their writing. You might also ask the author questions, or suggest possible interpretations of the text. You may write this paper as you would a letter.
Suggested Topic: Write a letter to Jourdon Anderson explaining your response to his letter to his former master. You might comment on Anderson’s writing style, his use of evidence, or the appropriateness of his case.
Invite a group of writers or characters to a get together and imagine your conversation as they reflect on their writings.
Suggested Topic: Imagine you are having tea with Clare and Irene. Ask each to reflect on events in the novel, such as how they feel about being black, how they feel about passing as white, how they came to marry their husbands, and how they feel about each other.
Suggested Topic: Sit down to dinner with Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Ask the two great poets about the themes and styles of their poetry and what they admire about each other’s poetry.
Suggested Topic: Interview the doctor, Josephine, Richards, and Brently Mallard asking them about the events of the day in “The Story of an Hour,” and why they believe Mrs. Mallard passed away. You might also ask Mrs. Mallard for her opinion, too.
