MIDTERM ESSAY

DUE DATE 4/1 

3-5 PAGES IN LENGTH

WORKS CITED PAGE CONTAINING 1 PRIMARY SOURCE (LISTED BELOW) AND 2 SECONDARY SOURCES MINIMUM (BOOKS, PEER REVIEWED ESSAYS, PERIODICALS, ETC.)

APPLY ALL YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF COHERENT ESSAY WRITING, ATTENDING TO GRAMMAR, SYNTAX, ORGANIZATION, TOPIC/SUPPORTING/CONCLUDING SENTENCES, THESIS STATEMENTS, ETC. IN YOUR DECONSTRUCTION OF 1 OF THE FOLLOWING ESSAY TOPICS.  

*I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS IF YOU ARE INSPIRED IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.

SELAH SATERSTROM, THE PINK INSTITUTION

Explore the term “Southern Gothic” and why Selah Saterstrom’s novel The Pink Institution falls into that category.

What constitutes a novel?  Using your knowledge of fiction and prose and their various constraints, determine whether or not you believe Saterstrom’s work satisfies those requirements and why or why not.

Analyze how form influences and vice versa in Saterstrom’s novel.

Analyze and interpret one of the major themes in Saterstrom’s novel.

HARRYETTE MULLEN, SLEEPING WITH THE DICTIONARY

Analyze and deconstruct a single poem for its content, form, and meaning.  What is Mullen hoping to accomplish with this poem?

What is the purpose of poetry?  How do Mullen’s poems accommodate the various requirements for poetry?

How does experimental poetry differ from traditional poetry? 

Compare and contrast Harryette Mullen’s poetry with Maya Angelou’s.

ROBERTA HILL, CICADAS

Using your knowledge of poetry and poetic terms, analyze the ways Roberta Hill’s Cicadas demonstrates struggle?

How do her poems protest against imperial governments, class conflicts, and racial injustice?

How is Hill’s cultural heritage tied into the world around her, namely nature?