Write an essay following the standards on the ENGRWR301 grading rubric and “Writing about Literature” guidelines. Be sure to quote and analyze key lines from the texts.
Write on one of the following topics:
A. Design your own topic for this first assignment and clear it with me first by writing a paragraph with your proposed question and its connection to the texts we’ve been reading and our class discussions. Obviously, your topic must deal with the literature we’ve been discussing for Essay #1.
B. Analyze the persuasiveness of the argument the speaker uses to seduce in John Donne’s “The Flea” and Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress. ” You may also want to include a contemporary poem or song of your choice; just include a copy of the poem or song lyrics with your essay. Compare the arguments in these poems. How are they similar and different? Stronger essays will discuss the use of figurative language to develop theme. Also, consider the cultural attitudes toward sexuality in the poem and how they factor into the speaker’s argument for seduction. As you discuss Marvell, also analyze his use of the carpe diem theme.
C. Analyze the use of figurative language to develop the erotic theme in ”A Love Poem” by Audre Lorde, Haiku #79 by Kalamu Ya Salaam, and “Midnight Licorice Nights” by P.J. Gibson. Stronger essays will compare the variations of the erotic theme in these poems.
D. Analyze the symbolism of the rose and its relationship to theme in “Faded Roses” by Afua Cooper, “A Single Rose” by S.D. Allen, and a poem or song of your choice that uses rose symbolism to develop a love theme. Include a copy of the poem or song lyrics with your essay. Compare the symbolism of the rose and the treatment of the theme in these poems.
E. Look at “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates and “One Holy Night” by Sandra Cisneros as coming- of-age stories centered on the theme of seduction. How do these stories about adolescent sexuality represent seduction? Consider the familial conflicts in the stories, the mixture of realism and surrealism, and the sinister nature of the male seducer in the stories.
F. Compare “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates to “The Word Love” by Chitra Divakaruni as coming-of-age stories. What are the narrator’s culture and family like? How does the narrator mature throughout the course of the story? How does the narrator’s relationship to her family change throughout the story? What theme emerges as a result? As you discuss “The Word Love,” discuss the meaning of the title in shaping the theme of love, how the narrator’s understanding of love evolves in the story, and the effect of the second-person point of view. Stronger essays will consider the use of figurative language in both stories. (Note: I think “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” makes for a better comparison to “The Word Love;” however, if you are able to make strong connections to “One Holy Night,” you are welcome to discuss that story instead).
G. Both “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and “One Holy Night” contain subtle religious and mythological allusions that shape symbolism, character, and theme. Trace the effect of allusion in developing these literary elements.
