Essay #4: Due Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Essay #4: Due Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mythological Criticism / Setting


Paper Guidelines
*8.5x11-inch paper
*1-inch margins
*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font
*minimum three (3) pages; maximum four (4) pages
*minimum of three (3) primary sources, cited in MLA format; attach the list to your essay on a separate piece of paper
Left-hand corner of paper, single spaced:
FIRST AND LAST NAME
January 19, 2010
Professor Melinda Roberts
Short Story: Wintersession 2010
Centered Title (all caps and bolded):
ARCHETYPAL SYMBOLISM: UNIVERSAL RESPONSES TO TIME AND PLACE

• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).
• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers are due at the start of class, i.e., at 9:30 A.M., on January 19, 2010.  Late papers will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

Essay Topic:

Use the Mythological Criticism on pages 693-696 of our text and the handouts you received in class.  Choose a story from the list below. Identify, analyze and discuss the archetypal symbols/situations in the work.  How are the archetype(s) and setting interrelated?  Is setting central to the reader's understanding of the archetype(s)?  Come up with a thesis sentence, and back up your argument with specific observations about the text. Incorporate at least five quotations, and document them, as explained in the writing chapters at the end of the book.

• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
• A Good Man is Hard to Find
  
• A Worn Path
  
• The Birthmark
• The Story of an Hour
• Her Letters
• The Rocking-Horse Winner
  
• Young Goodman Brown

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to incorporate all parts of the essay topic into the essay to receive full points.
• This essay has a value of 75 points.

Young Goodman Brown

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Thursday, January 14, 2010

Response must be posted by 10:00 PM EST

What is your favorite / scariest experience from a visit into the woods?

Mist Woods, photo by Kim Nixon

Nathaniel Hawthorne: "Young Goodman Brown"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Friday, January 15, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Young Goodman Brown

(pp. 419-429)

First, listen to the following on-line lecture on Hawthorne and Young Goodman Brown (there is also a transcript of the lecture; the link follows):

"Why We Still Read Hawthorne 150 Years Later," by Dr. Pierre A. Walker, Salem State College (2003) (audio)

"Why We Still Read Hawthorne 150 Years Later," by Dr. Pierre A. Walker, Salem State College (2003) (audio transcript)

Read Young Goodman Brown.  You may also listen to an audio reading of the story at this link:

http://www.adamsmithacademy.org/etext/Young_Goodman_Brown.html

Also, here's an online study guide to help you with interpreting the story:

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Brown.html#Young%20Goodman%20Brown

Write a First Response to Young Goodman Brown. What was your initial response to the first few paragraphs of the text? What was your first impression of Goodman Brown? of Faith? of the Devil? Do you think Goodman Brown's trip into the woods was a dream/hallucination or real? What aspect of the work affected you most? Why? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to Young Goodman Brown.

Remember, a first response is not a summary -- use 3-5 quotations from the story and tell me how the story affected you.

First Response Guidelines:

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 15, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story; Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN"

Ambrose Bierce: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama,

looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

The man's hands were behind his back,

the wrists bound with a cord.

A rope closely encircled his neck.

It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head

and the slack fell to the level of his knees.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:30 AM

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

(pp. 485-491)

Read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.  You may also follow along with an online audio version:

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (audio)

After you have read/listened to the story, you may enjoy the 1960's Twilight Zone version, which is available for online viewing:

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (full video)

Write a First Response to An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. What was your initial response to the first few paragraphs of the text? What was your first impression of Peyton Farquhar? Do you think he deserved his fate? What aspect of the work affected you most? Why? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to An Occurrence of Owl Creek Bridge.

First Response Guidelines:

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 14, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story; Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "AN OCCURRENCE OF OWL CREEK BRIDGE"

Essay #3: Due Thursday, January 14, 2010

Essay #3: Due Thursday, January 14, 2010
Historical Criticism / Character


Paper Guidelines:
*8.5x11-inch paper
*1-inch margins
*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font
*minimum three (3) pages, maximum four (4) pages
*minimum of three (3) primary sources, cited in MLA format; attach the list to your essay on a separate piece of paper
Left-hand corner of paper, single spaced:
FIRST AND LAST NAME
January 14, 2010
Professor Melinda Roberts
Short Story: Wintersession 2010
Centered Title (all caps and bolded):
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).
• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers are due at the start of class, i.e., 9:30 AM, on January 14, 2010.  Late papers will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

Essay topic:
Use the Historical Criticism on pages 685-689 of our text.  Choose a story from the list below and analyze the protagonist. Discuss the historical context of the story; how does this context impact upon the protagonist's character?  What techniques has the writer used to create, reveal, or develop the character?  What motivation(s) (either explicit and/or implicit) does the writer provide for the character's actions?  Discuss how the character changed or how his/her full personality was revealed. What does a reader in 2010 need to understand historically about the piece to fully appreciate the exact meaning and impact it had on its original audience? Come up with a thesis sentence, and back up your argument with specific observations about the text. Incorporate at least five quotations, and document them, as explained in the writing chapters at the end of the book.

• A Worn Path (Phoenix Jackson)
• A Good Man is Hard to Find (the grandmother)
• The Rocking-Horse Winner (Paul)
• The Birthmark (Aylmer)
• The Birthmark (Georgianna)
  
• The Things They Carried (Lieutenant Jimmy Cross)
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Peyton Farquhar)
• The Lottery (Tessie Hutchinson)

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to incorporate all parts of the essay topic into the essay to receive full points.
• This essay has a value of 75 points.  The essay topic has four (4) parts; each part is assigned 25% of the total points.

Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried"

Photos taken July 8, 2003 by Melinda Roberts
Vietnam Veterans/POWs/MIAs Memorial
Little Saigon, Westminster, Orange County, California

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Wednesday, January 13 @ 9:30 a.m.
The Things They Carried (pp. 595-607)


Write a First Response to The Things They Carried. What was your first impression of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross? of the other soldiers? of the things they carried? Did any of your impressions change? If so, why? how? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the the things they carried? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to The Things They Carried.

First Response Guidelines:

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 13, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "THE THINGS THEY CARRIED"

Nathaniel Hawthorne: "The Birthmark"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Due Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 9:30 AM
The Birthmark (online text)

Print out and read The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne: http://www.fibrotalk.com/fibrotalk-distraction-therapy/fibrotalk-book-club/the-birth-mark-by-nathaniel-hawthorne/

Bring the printed out copy with you to class on January 12th.

It is not required, but if you are so inspired, you may purchase an audio recording of The Birthmark online for $1.95: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&productID=BK_JIMC_000174

or purchase from iTunes for $0.99.


Write a First Response to The Birthmark. What was your first impression of Aylmer? of Georgiana? Did your impression of either or both of them change? If it did, why? how? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the birthmark? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to The Birthmark.

First Response Guidelines:

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 12, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "THE BIRTHMARK"

Essay #2: Due Monday, January 11, 2010

Essay #2: Due Monday, January 11, 2010

Psychological Criticism / Point of View

Paper Guidelines

8.5x11-inch paper

1-inch margins

Typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

Minimum three (3) pages; maximum four (4) pages

Minimum of three (3) primary sources, cited in MLA format; attach the list to your essay on a separate piece of paper

Left-hand corner of paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 11, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON NARRATOR'S POINT OF VIEW

• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).
• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers are due at the start of class, i.e., 9:30 A.M., on January 11, 2010.  Late papers will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

Essay Topic:

Use the Psychological Criticism on pages 689-693 of our text.  Choose a story from the list below and analyze how point of view contributes to the story's overall meaning.  Discuss the narrator's psychology and speculate "on what lies underneath the text -- the unspoken or perhaps even unspeakable memories, motives, and fears that covertly shape the work."  Come up with a thesis sentence, and back up your argument with specific observations about the text.  Incorporate at least five quotations, and document them, as explained in the writing chapters at the end of the book.

• A & P
• The Story of an Hour
• Her Letters
  
• The Tell-Tale Heart
• Why I Live at the P.O.
• A Worn Path
• A Good Man is Hard to Find
  

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to incorporate all parts of the essay topic into the essay to receive full points.
• This essay has a value of 75 points
• 50% of points assigned to analysis of point of view
• 50% of points assigned to discussion of narrator's psychology

HELPFUL LINK TO STORY RESOURCES:

A Good Man is Hard to Find: http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/AGoodMan.html

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Response must be posted by 10:00 PM EST

 

Have you ever taken a cruise vacation? If so, where did you go?

If you could go anywhere in the world on a cruise, where would you go? 

Katherine Anne Porter, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:30 AM

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall (pp. 79-86)

Read The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.

Write a first response paper to The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. What was your first impression of Granny Weatherall? of Cornelia? Did your impressions change? If so, when? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the title of the story? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.

First Response Guidelines

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 11, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "THE JILTING OF GRANNY WEATHERALL"

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Response must be posted by 10:00 PM EST

Which episode of America's Most Wanted disturbs / upsets you the most?

Never seen America's Most Wanted? Here's a link to one of the most recent episodes (the one I told you about in class): http://www.hulu.com/watch/118384/americas-most-wanted-episode-14 


Here's the follow-up showing the arrest of Paul Mehrig:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/119784/americas-most-wanted-episode-15

The Lottery

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

What would you do if you won the lottery?

D.H. Lawrence: "The Rocking-Horse Winner"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:30 AM

The Rocking-Horse Winner (pp. 559-569)

Read The Rocking-Horse Winner. 

You may also listen online and read along (about 35 minutes):

http://www.adamsmithacademy.org/etext/RockingHorse.html

Write a First Response Paper to The Rocking-Horse Winner. What was your first impression of Hester (Paul's mother)? of Paul? of Bassett? of Uncle Oscar? How would you analyze each character's psychological well-being? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of Paul's "luck"?  Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to The Rocking-Horse Winner.

First Response Guidelines

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 11, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "THE ROCKING-HORSE WINNER"


You might also enjoy College of DuPage "CODcast" discussion of The Rocking-Horse Winner: http://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/English%201150/7B204EA7-A898-11DA-9C02-000393BA0D94.html

Thursday, January 7, 2010 ("Why I Live at the P.O.")

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Thursday, January 8, 2010 @ 9:30 a.m.

Why I Live at the P.O. (pages 42-51)

• Read the story, Why I Live at the P.O., by Eudora Welty
• Write a First Response to Why I Live at the P.O.  What was your first impression of Sister? of Stella-Rondo?  of Mama?  Papa-Daddy?  Uncle Rondo? Did any of your impressions change by the end of the story? If so, why? Do you think Sister is a reliable narrator? Why, or why not? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What do you think is the real reason Sister moved to the P.O.? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to Why I Live at the P.O.

You might also enjoy hearing Eudora Welty reading her story.  It's on the NY Times website. You'll have to register as a user, but it's free. Enjoy!

Why I Live at the P.O. (audio) (read by the author) (must log in to NY Times website)

First Response Guidelines

-- 8.5x11-inch paper

-- 1-inch margins

-- typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

-- minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Left-hand corner of the paper, single-spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 8, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "WHY I LIVE AT THE P.O."

Flannery O'Conner: "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Due Friday, January 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM
A Good Man is Hard to Find (pp. 369-379)

Write a first response paper to A Good Man is Hard to Find. What was your first impression of each of the characters? Did your impressions change? If so, when? Which of the characters affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the title of the story? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to A Good Man is Hard to Find.

First Response Guidelines

*8.5x11-inch paper

*1-inch margins

*typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

*minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Upper left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 8, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND"

"Why I Live at the P.O."

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

 Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

If you could live at any post office in the United States, where would you live and why?

If you could live at any post office in the world, where would you live and why?

Eudora Welty: "A Worn Path"

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Thursday, January 7, 2010 @ 9:30 a.m.

A Worn Path (available online)

• Print out and read the story, A Worn Path (bring with you to class on January 7th): http://www.moonstar.com/~acpjr/Blackboard/Common/Stories/WornPath.html

• Write a First Response to A Worn Path. What was your first impression of Phoenix Jackson? What was your impression of her at the beginning of the story? At the end of the story? Which aspect of the work affected you most? Why? What is the significance of the worn path? Provide specific textual details and quotations from the story to justify and/or explain your response to A Worn Path.

• You may also watch a video adaptation of A Worn Path online (in two parts):


• Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVOYj9CQX1o&feature=related
• Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CpaF9Wa1R4&feature=related

First Response Guidelines

-- 8.5x11-inch paper

-- 1-inch margins
-- typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font
-- minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages Left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:
FIRST AND LAST NAME
January 7, 2010
Professor Melinda Roberts
Short Story: Wintersession 2010
Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "A WORN PATH"


You may also enjoy:
An interview with Eudora Welty:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2fh37fzsOg&feature=related
The photography of Eudora Welty:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K722JBLE3TI&feature=related

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Thursday, January 7, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

What is your favorite memory of your grandmother (or a woman who has/had the role of grandmother in your life)?

Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Wednesday, January 6, 2010 @ 9:30 A.M.

The Tell-Tale Heart (pages 36-40)

Read The Tell-Tale Heart with Master of the Macabre, Vincent Price:

Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LNjgv5p3Ek&feature=related

Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-tAb-bM-s&feature=related
and/or enjoy an animated version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9V8aQu4c


Write a Response Paper to The Tell-Tale Heart. What was your first impression of the narrator? Did your impression of the narrator change as you read the story? If so, how? why? Which aspect of the work affected you the most? Provide specific textual details and quotations to justify and/or explain your response to The Tell-Tale Heart.


Response Paper Guidelines

-- 8.5x11-inch paper
-- 1-inch margins
-- typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font
-- minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages
Left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 6, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010
Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "THE TELL-TALE HEART"

Cinderella vs. Mrs. Mallard: Marriage and Mutilation of Self

ESSAY #1

Due Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Sociological Criticism / Plot

Paper Guidelines

8.5x11-inch paper

1-inch margins

Typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font

Minimum three (3) pages; maximum four (4) pages

Left-hand corner of paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 6, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

CINDERELLA VS. MRS. MALLARD: MARRIAGE AND MUTILATION OF SELF: THE PLOT THICKENS

• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).
• IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers are due at the start of class, i.e., 9:30 A.M., on January 6, 2010.  Late papers will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

Essay Topic:
I.  Use the Sociological Criticism on page 696 of our text to analyze / compare and contrast the plots in the Grimm Brothers' Cinderella and Chopin's The Story of an Hour within the context of socialization of males and females in preparation for marriage and the inevitable mutilation of self.  Include in your discussion the behaviors of the minor characters (Cinderella's father, step-mother and step-sisters; Mrs. Mallard's husband's friend, Richards, and her sister, Josephine) and their impact on the protagonists.  Come up with a thesis sentence, and back up your argument with specific observations about the text.  Incorporate at least five quotations, and document them, as explained in the writing chapters at the end of the book.
II. Do you believe Cinderella ever had a "Mrs. Mallard moment," or that Mrs. Mallard ever had a "Cinderella moment"?  Use your imagination, as well as evidence from the readings, to respond.

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Discuss both parts of the essay to receive full points.
• This essay has a value of 75 points
• 75% of points assigned to Part I of the essay
• 25% of points assigned to Part II of the essay

Kate Chopin (1851-1904)

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, January 4, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

Google Kate Chopin.  Find an interesting fact about her and "post a comment" to this post.  I've already posted a comment, to get the ball rolling.

A & P Discussion Question

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, January 4, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

Tell about the most outrageous thing that ever happened to you in an A & P Supermarket.

"Cinderella" by The Brothers Grimm

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Tuesday, January 5, 2010 @ 9:30 A.M.

Read the Grimm Brothers' version of Cinderella on line at: http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/cinderella.html

Also print out a copy and bring with you to class on January 5th.


Prepare a First Response:  Think about any childhood recollection(s) of Cinderella, perhaps from picture books or from the animated versions created by Walt Disney.  Are you surprised by the differences between the Grimms' version and what you remember from your childhood?  Write a first response contrasting the original with how you remember the story.  What does the original version offer that the adaptations do not?


First Response Guidelines:

8.5x11-inch paper

1-inch margins

typed, double-spaces, Cambria 12 font

minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages

Left-hand corner of paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 5, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010

Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

FIRST RESPONSE: CINDERELLA

"A & P" by John Updike

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Tuesday, January 5, 2010 @ 9:30 A.M.

Read A & P by John Updike, on pages 16-20 of the text.

Prepare a response paper:  What was your first impression of the narrator? Do you think he is reliable? Why, or why not? What was your first impression of the girls? What was your first impression of Lengel? Did your impression of any of the characters change as you read the story? If so, how? Why? Which aspect of the work affected you the most? Provide specific textual details and quotations to justify and/or explain your response to your reading of A & P.

Once you have finished the reading and writing your response paper, you may enjoy the following links:

• Interview with John Updike on the writing of A & P (1995) Part 1 of 2
• Interview with John Updike on the writing of A & P (1995) Part 2 of 2
• Movie version of A & P with Sean Hayes (from Will & Grace)

Response Paper Guidelines

-- 8.5x11-inch paper
-- 1-inch margins
-- typed, double-spaced, Cambria 12 font
-- minimum one (1) page; maximum two (2) pages
Left-hand corner of the paper, single spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME

January 5, 2010

Professor Melinda Roberts

Short Story: Wintersession 2010
Centered Title (all caps and bolded):

RESPONSE PAPER: "A & P"

The Things They Carried

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

List five things you absolutely must have in your pocketbook/backpack or your day is ruined.

The Birthmark

ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, January 11, 2010

Comment must be posted by 10:00 P.M. EST

A letter arrives in the mail.  You have been randomly chosen to be the first patient in a newly-opened, state-of-the-art plastic surgery center in Westchester County.  None of the doctors has ever performed a surgery on their own, but all come from the best medical schools in the country.  The surgery is free, and you can choose what you want done.  There's only one caveat -- as with all surgeries, there is a 50/50 chance that you will die.  Your husband/wife, significant other thinks it a marvelous opportunity, and encourages you enthusiastically to get some work done. Would you have the surgery?  If your answer is "yes," what would you have done?  If your answer is "no," why not?