+1 862 207 3288 Fiction Essay
1. What and whom does the author satirize in “Love is A Fallacy”? Discuss the theme of “Love and Logic” in light of the story’s irony. Don’t forget to illustrate your point with examples.
2. Consider Shirley Jackson’s comment on her purpose in writing the short story “The Lottery”: “I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village, to shock the story’s readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.” With this observation in mind, identify, illustrate, and discuss the key elements in the story that contribute to the final effect of shock and horror. Be sure to make clear how these various elements contribute to our understanding of the story’s theme.
3. What do you see as being the central conflict in the story “The Boarding House”? And how is that conflict developed and resolved in the story?
4. Miss Emily Grierson, the title character in the story “A Rose for Emily,” is certainly a bizarre character. Withdrawn from society, trapped in a world of delusions, Emily never receives any psychiatric treatment, but she definitely exhibits symptoms indicative of mental illness. Although her community never thought Emily was “crazy,” she was indeed a very ill person. Examine the author’s portrayal of Emily’s mental illness through various literary devices and the depiction of her social relationships.
5. Definitions of a “round character” often include the idea that a round character is one who undergoes some change or transformation during the course of a story. As presented, do you think that Bernice in “Bernice Bobs her Hair” should be considered a round character according to that criterion of undergoing a change during the course of the story?
6. Compare and contrast “Bernice Bobs her Hair” with the recent movie version of “The Great Gatsby”. Take into consideration the themes and characterization.
