F. Scott Fitzgerald “Winter Dreams”, Toni Morrison “Recitatif”, Sylvia Plath “The Bell Jar”, Richard Wright “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”, Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People” & William Faulkner “Barn Burning” Novels/ Short Stories. Also I have Provided Links to ¡Yo! By Julia Alvarez and Ernest Hemingway “Indian Camp” as they would also be required.
Exam Questions:
1. Often, in their writing, authors convey conflicting perspectives, tension between romantic and cynical inclinations. In addition, some works echo Fitzgerald’s words: “There are no second acts in American lives.” Explain how the aforementioned ideas relate to two of
the following author’s works: Fitzgerald, Morrison, Anzaldúa, or Hurston. You should consider how the above ideas related to tensions and American lives is or is not exemplified in your selected works. Be sure to explain the significance of your response—why it matters that the piece does or does not exemplify the above. (15 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
F. Scott Fitzgerald “Winter Dreams”
Toni Morrison “Recitatif”
2. Literary critic Ben Xu notes, “Recent social-psychological studies have shown that self-images bring forth a host of intricately related self-knowledge and self-identity, whose information, values, and related beliefs are socially situated as well as psychologically useful.” Choose one character from each work by Cisneros or Alvarez and explain whether or not the socially situated “information, values, and related beliefs” that influence the character’s self-image and identity are psychologically useful for each character from each work. (Be sure to specify what the “information, values, and related beliefs” are and how they are socially situated.) (20 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
¡Yo! By Julia Alvarez
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/yo.htm?noredirect=on
3. We have read a number of works that depict an “other.” Using either O’Connor’s, Ginsberg’s Kerouac’s, or Spiegelman’s work (list the title of your selected work), explain the way the author addresses the “other” in her or his work as well as the seeming purpose of her or his portrayal of the “other.” You will also want to explain the significance of your analysis. To what deeper understanding do you arrive as a result of your consideration of the othering in your selected work? (15 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”
4. Consider the theme of manhood as expressed in Wright’s and Hemingway’s short stories. Identify the differences and similarities that you see in the way each author addresses the theme of manhood. Within your comparison and contrast, explain what the similarities and differences within the texts suggest about manhood as an American experience. (20 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
Richard Wright “The Man who was almost a man” and
Ernest Hemingway “Indian Camp” https://www.nrcs.net/Downloads/Indian%20Camp.pdf
5. Betrayal by mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons is one variation of the exploration of the influence of family on contemporary life. Explore either a mother/daughter or a father/son relationship in one of the following author’s works: Faulkner, Steinbeck, Updike, or Tan. As you explore your chosen relationship, be sure to comment on what the author reveals about how the familial relationship influences contemporary life. (15 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
William Faulkner “Barn Burning”
6. As we have discussed, Plath’s novel is thought to be a female “rite of passage” novel. As you address whether or not you agree that Plath’s is a “rite of passage” novel, also address how Esther’s identity is shaped as well as the person she grows to be by the end of the novel. You may want to consider the following: Who is Esther? Who is she “supposed” to be? How does she feel about not fitting into the “mold” or meeting societal and familial expectations? Whom does she become? Finally, comment on whether or not you think any of the ideas related to female identity from this novel that spurred on the women’s movement of 1971 relate to society in the 2020s. (15 points)
Paragraph needs to be about:
Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar
Extra Credit:
Provide your own reader-response expressing the meaning you made from Cullen’s “Incident”
and Hughes’ “I Too.” (10 points)
