Directions: I would like you to compose two pieces of writing using the materials on Baldwin and Morrison. In this blog post, I have included additional materials from both authors to add to your general knowledge. The material may become vital in your literary analysis. Post the pieces to Turnitin.com.
Essay 1: In many works of fiction, characters have misconceptions of themselves and their surrounding worlds. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the work in question. Using the works of James Baldwin and/or Toni Morrison, choose a major character to whom this statement applies and write an essay in which you consider the following points: What the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the work, and how the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the work. Please use one of the short stories we read in class as a primary source, along with non-fiction/literature from one or both authors to strengthen the argument.
Essay 2: In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.”
Choose a character from one of the works of James Baldwin and/or Toni Morrison who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. Please use one of the short stories we read in class as a primary source, along with non-fiction/literature from one or both authors to strengthen the argument. Note: Make sure to choose a different primary source than Essay 1.
