essay

English 2

Doucet

Essay # 1: Analysis and Interpretation of Short Fiction (MLA documentation style)

Write a 4 to 5 page, typed and double-spaced essay that discusses the causes and the effects of 

Paul’s compulsion to ride his rocking-horse in “The Rocking-Horse Winner.” What commentary 

might the story make on life in the modern world? Use specific evidence from the text to support 

your claims. 

OR 

Write a 4 to 5 page essay, typed and double-spaced that discusses the epiphanies or lack of 

epiphanies of the principal characters in “The Lesson,” or “The Conversion of the Jews.”  If 

these characters have epiphanies, at what insights do they arrive about themselves, the human 

condition and/or the world?  Use evidence from the text to support your claims.

OR

Write a 4 to 5 page essay, typed and double spaced, discussing the how the author’s choice of the 

child’s point of view helps communicate the central themes in the story “The First Day.” How 

does the narrator’s point of view help the reader recognize and understand the themes?  Use 

specific examples from the texts to support your claims.

OR

In “My Singular Irene,” Irene is dis-empowered and silenced. In a 4 to 5 page essay, typed and 

double-spaced, discuss how the character can be considered a symbol of modern oppression and 

triumph over oppression.  What does the story say about the human need for personal freedom 

and the need for companionship?  Use specific examples from the text to support your claims.

OR

Write a 4 to 5 page essay that discusses Bak Goong’s sojourn in Hawaii in terms of a heroic 

quest in “The Great Grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains.” What is the object of his quest, 

and does he achieve it?  What character traits mark him as heroic? What other elements make the 

narrative like a heroic quest? Use specific passages from the text to support your claims.