1st Hawthorne Writing Prompt

In "Young Goodman Brown" Hawthorne writes, "Welcome, my children, to the communion of your
race.  Ye have thus young found your nature and your destiny" (178).  In an introduction paragraph that
follows the intro paragraph outline in the paper handout, please develop your understanding of what
Hawthorne means by this & its significance.  Remember to communicate essential context re. the story &
to respond to said context with your POV.

2nd Hawthorne Writing Prompt

In order to begin our discussion of "The Birthmark," we must consider the character relationship between
Georgiana & Aylmer, specifically with regard to their motivations toward one another & the historical
context in which the text is written.

Please write one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout. 
Explain your understanding of the above-mentioned character relationship, its complexities &
significances, especially considering that the story was published in America in 1843.  Consider what the
desired outcome for the experiment Aylmer performs on Georgiana?  Remember to cite & analyze
evidence.

Poe Writing Prompt

In order to effectively discuss "The Cask of Amontillado," we must commit to not simply reading the
story's main theme as revenge.  Of course, revenge is part of the narrative, but Poe's significant theme has
to do with the psyche, with consciousness, with the narrator's attempt to bury or not examine feelings of
guilt, jealousy, envy, sorrow, etc. The narrator insists on telling us the revenge narrative, but Poe creates
many weaknesses / inconsistencies in the narrator's telling.  This makes the narrator unreliable, but only if
we are able to read him from a psychoanalytical pov.

Locate one or two places in the story where the narrator means one thing on the surface but what he says
reveals deeper emotions he doesn't want to face.  Once you've found this evidence, please write one
analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout.  Explain what you
think the narrator is denying & why he's doing it.  Analyze your evidence to support your assertions.

Chopin Writing Prompt

Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is clearly about the oppression of Mrs. Mallard in her relationship with
Brently, who has seemingly died in a train accident.  Yet there is no characterization of Brently as having
mistreated Louise.  In fact, Louise claims to have loved him "sometimes."  Furthermore, she admits that
she "would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death" (100).  Of course, Brently is
not dead, & when he returns, Louise, who has finally come to embrace her newfound freedom in her
ability to "live for herself," dies of heart failure.  The other characters in the 19th-Century can only
understand her heart failure to be caused by "joy" at seeing her husband alive again, "the joy that kills."

In one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph in the paper outline, please write about your
understanding of the treatment of women in & out of marriage in the 19th-Century, &, given this context,
please explain your understanding of Louise's struggle for independence, for freedom from oppression.
Remember to cite & analyze evidence.

Gilman Writing Prompt

Please write a one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout.
Develop your understanding of a significant idea in Gilman's story story, "The Yellow Wallpaper." 
Whatever idea you write about, be certain to address Jane's "condition," her treatment, & consider John's
role in her breakdown.    Cite evidence from the text & analyze it to support your assertions.

Crane Writing Prompt

Crane's short story is an allegory, an expression through fictional characters that comments on the actions
or truths of human existence.  In one introduction paragraph that follows the intro paragraph outline in the
paper handout, please write about the significant truth(s) about human existence this allegory presents.  
Remember to develop a contextualized summary of your ideas & a response to said ideas to establish
your point of view.

1st Hemingway Writing Prompt

Hemingway's short story is about the nature of broken communication between Jig & the American Man
as they discuss an abortion.  Many people have argued that the American Man is consciously attempting
to manipulate Jig into doing what he wants, which is to have the procedure.  Although there is
manipulation, it seems to me to based on emotional uncertainty rather than conscious manipulation.  I
also contend, that Jig, although uncertain about her desires at the story's outset, becomes a strong,
independent character who not only stands up for herself by the story's end but who also comes to see the
American Man as stuck in the same emotional place he embraces at the story's beginning.  He simply
does not grow or transform.  Jig does; she evolves, is dynamic, &, therefore, is the strong character in the
story.  This reading runs contrary to arguments made since Hemingway published his first significant
novel (1926): that he writes weak-minded women who serve the male characters he creates.

Given this context, in one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper
handout, please argue your reading of Jig.  Please use evidence from the text, specifically focusing on
dialogue, symbolism, or narrative description to support your assertions.  

2nd Hemingway Writing Prompt

Please establish an argument that explains your understanding of a significant idea in Hemingway's short
story.  Then cite evidence from the story, & analyze how the evidence supports the argument you've
made.  Please follow the body paragraph outline in the paper handout.

Baldwin Writing Prompt

In the short story "Sonny's Blues," Baldwin writes, "Trouble is the one thing that never does get stopped,
and I don't know what good it does to blame it on the lord, but maybe it does some good if you believe it"
(95).  Considering this quote & its context, please write an introduction paragraph for an analytical essay
that explains your understanding of a theme in the Baldwin's story & why you think said theme is
significant.  Follow the intro paragraph outline in the paper handout.

Eliot Writing Prompt

As an introduction to poetry at the college level, Eliot presents a challenge: he is difficult to read, or so
I've heard. In order to effectively discuss "Prufrock," I'd like you to focus on one or two lines / images /
stanzas & write one introduction paragraph that follows the intro paragraph outline in the paper handout. 
Trust your intuition, especially re. your reading of the entire poem.

1st Frost Writing Prompt

Too many people misread "The Road not Taken" as a poem about following one's Too many people
misread "The Road not Taken" as a poem about following one's individuality, about taking the road "less
traveled," which "has made all the difference."  But the poem's title is "The Road not Taken," not "the
road taken."  Therefore, the poem is about grief, about telling the narrative "with a sigh."

Please write one introduction paragraph that follows the intro paragraph outline in the paper.  Explain
your understanding of the grief Frost presents & why it is significant according to your point of view.

2nd Frost Writing Prompt

I've heard some wild interpretations of Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," many of which
have little basis in what the poem says.

Please write one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout. 
Explain what you think the poem is significantly about. Please support your interpretation with evidence
& analysis from the text.

Hughes Writing Prompt

Please choose one poem from the reading assignment & write one analytical paragraph that follow the
body paragraph outline in the paper handout.  Write about your  understanding of the main theme in the
poem.  Then cite & analyze evidence from the poem to support your point of view, paying attention in
your analysis to the specific language of the citation you've used, to its imagery, its metaphor, its
description, its tone, etc. 

Plath Writing Prompt

Plath's poetry demands discussion about many related topics, from suicide to biography to feminism to
marriage, to historical context, etc.  To begin, though, it's essential to understand the theme of rebirth in
Plath, that this rebirth comes via suicide & vengeance.  The speaker gains strength from exploring these
ideas.  

Please choose one of the poems from the reading assignment & write one analytical paragraph that
follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout.  Write about your understanding of rebirth, of
transcendence or transformation in the poem.  

1st Hansberry Writing Prompt

In order to begin to discuss Hansberry's play, we must seriously reflect on Walter's characterization,
especially as it relates to the other characters in the play–Beneatha, Mama, Travis, & Ruth.  
In one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout, please explain
your understanding of Walter's characterization & why it's significant to the play's central theme(s).
Remember to cite & analyze evidence.

2nd Hansberry Writing Prompt

Clearly, Hansberry's play presents the effects of racism & white supremacy on the Younger family.  As a
result, there's a serious undercurrent of resistance to these attitudes & beliefs, but Beneatha's form of
resistance is different than Walter's.  She refuses to give up her "own culture and submerge [herself]
completely in the dominant, and in this case, oppressive culture," (1537) accusing Walter of giving in to
said oppression, of being an "Uncle Tom."  This raises a question that is still with us in America today. 

In one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout, please write
about your understanding of either Beneatha or Walter's significant position re. the above-mentioned
oppressive forces & your point of view on these positions.  Remember to cite & analyze evidence.

3rd Hansberry Writing Prompt

In the third reading assignment, we must consider Walter's ability to be seduced by materialism, as it is
something many Americans experience or feel. The fact is that most people desire great wealth &
materialism &, like Walter, most people have no idea how to accomplish the goal of achieving it.  Fantasy
leads the way, & reality gets left behind.  In this reading assignment, Lindner is the reality that the
Younger's will have to face, no matter where they turn in America.  

In one paragraph that follows the intro paragraph outline in the paper handout, please explain your
understanding of Walter's fantasy re. success in life.  Why does he engage in such fantasy?  Consider
what the check, Travis, Mama,  has to do with his feelings.

Remember to develop context & your point of view response to said context.

4th Hansberry Writing Prompt

In the final reading assignment for the play, The Younger's do not give in to Lindner & the Clybourne
Park Improvement Association.  That is, they decide to buy the house & meet, perhaps tolerate, perhaps
confront the racism they will experience.  But they choose to live in a home & to work to achieve the
dreams of love, family, honesty, & respect–the true American dream, which is not merely an American
dream.  It's a human dream. 

What is your point of view re. the Younger family's decision?   

Please write one analytical paragraph that follows the body paragraph outline in the paper handout. 
Explain your point of view re. the above-mentioned questions, cite evidence to support your point of
view, & analyze said evidence.