Length: Approx. 500-1000 words
Instructions: Use ONE of the following essay topics to write a formal literary essay. Your essay should include an introduction, thesis, body paragraph and conclusion. There should be evidence (quotations) included in your answer. A Work Cited page should be included with your essay. You can use the same text as you used in essay 1 to answer any of the following options:
These are the texts:
Who’s for the game?” Jessie Pope
•“Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen
•“Ode 3.2: Dulce et Decorum Est” Horace
•Tough Guise documentary, Jackson Katz
•The Wars by Timothy Findley
•A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
•Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman
•Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick
•“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
and THESE ARE THE THEMES:
•Trauma and its aftereffects
•Duality of man
•Hegemonic masculinity
•Loss
•Propaganda
•Dehumanization
•Objectification
•Sexual Violence
•Race/Ethnicity
•Intergenerational trauma
•Indoctrination and conformity
•Toxic masculinity
•Gender Stereotypes
Option 1: CURRENT ISSUES: The texts that we have studied take place in the distant past, and yet many of the themes or conflicts faced by the characters presented in these texts continue to be relevant to events or issues of today and are still relatable. As social movements like #METoo, Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and LGBTQ+ Pride are shared on social media, and reports of sexual misconduct in Canada’s military make headlines, it is clear that gender and racial equality is still a work in progress. In your essay, discuss the continued relevance or relatability of the themes, conflicts or characters in at least two different course texts as they relate to a current issue(s) we face in society today.
Option 2: THE ‘MASK’ OF MASCULINITY: In Tough Guise II, Jackson Katz posits the idea that men and boys are taught to disguise or mask their fears and insecurities that are deemed effeminate or weak, to put on a mask or “tough guise.” In your essay, discuss this metaphor of masking as it applies to the social construction of gender. Explain how and why certain characters from at least TWO different course texts wear a “mask” to hide their true feelings or to hide parts of their identity.
Option 3: GENDERED VIOLENCE: Violence against women, and more generally, the devaluation of femininity, is a pressing issue that is evident in many socio-cultural contexts, including the military. Using examples from at least TWO different texts, discuss how military systems target or victimize women or girls with violence, and/or devalue femininity more generally (ex. with sexist language, etc.).
Option 4: LESSONS LEARNED: Reflect on at least TWO different readings (and/or films) that we’ve studied throughout this course, and discuss what you’ve learned in regards to any one or more of the following: key concepts/ideas, important themes or life lessons. In what ways will you apply what you’ve learned in the course to your life or in your future profession? (Feel free to use first person “I” in your answer).
