1) In William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” in Section II it becomes clear that Miss Emily may be suffering from some form of mental illness or psychological disorder. Write an essay that explores the evidence within the story if Miss Emily is or is not mentally ill or psychologically disturbed. Make sure you provide examples from the story and support them with details. 2) Explore the relationship between Emily and Tobe. What do you think each character gets out of their relationship? Why does Tobe stay with Emily even though he must know what happened in the house? Why do you think he leave in the way he does? Explain what you think these two get from each other. 3) Closely analyze and examine the roles that are created for male and female characters in ″How to Date….″ Discuss how such gender roles affects both the male and female characters. Use the following questions to develop your thesis. How are gender norms created for females in the story? What is the effect of the gender norms that are created? For example, is one gender given more autonomy, value, or freedom? Is there a double standard in this story? 4) From Junot Diaz’s short story, “How to Date a Brown Girl…” write an essay on the narrator’s attitude toward sex? How do the girls seem to feel about sex? What about the parents? Do teens of different races/ethnic groups have different attitudes toward sex? Use examples from the story to support your claim(s).
