Instructions
Since this is the final writing assignment for the course, (500-750 words or thereabouts) that will be read solely by me rather than your classmates. Feel free to run a topic by me before you begin drafting.
The one restriction is that you focus on one or two of the last three works: Crimes of the Heart, ‘night, Mother, and Driving Miss Daisy. You can focus on either the play or the film, or you can craft another comparison/contrast essay that focuses on both the play and the film. You might also choose to compare a feature of two plays or their film adaptations.
What follows is a list of tips for success.
(1) Tackle a challenging topic that will enable you to comment on how the author or authors (or filmmakers) deal with a significant idea or problem such as family disintegration, aging, suicide, gender norms, class restrictions, and racial discrimination.
(2) Select a topic that you feel confident writing about. Overviews to these three plays contain a number of questions that might generate ideas for an essay, but do not feel that you have to stick to my interests.
(3) Cite passages and/or scenes to illustrate your point and be sure to discuss the implications of the passages you site.
(4) Give your essay a title that reflects your central concern–for example, “The Legacy of Suicide in Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart.”