For this assignment, choose one of the following prompts and to use that lens to analyze the short story it’s referring to. Make sure to use quotes from the short story to support your claim.
- Kate Chopin is known as one of the mothers of modern feminism. Use your own close reading of her work to defend this idea. You may need to do some research on feminism. Recommended authors include bell hooks and Audre Lorde.
- Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” is better known for her longer work, Herland. Herland is told from the perspective of a male protagonist. Why do you think that Gilman chose a female protagonist for “The Yellow Wallpaper?” What would have happened had she chosen a male protagonist? Use close reading and your imagination!
- Jovita Gonzales’s work as a folklorist transformed many traditional Xicanx tales into political propaganda. How is folklore tied to propaganda? Why do you think the author chose to do this? Use one of the short stories out of the Animal Stories pdf to help support your claim. Outside research is not necessary.
4. What do you think and/or feel about the husband’s character in the story, “Say Yes”, by Tobias Wolff. What do you think Tobias Wolff is suggesting about the nature of racial prejudice through the husband’s character and other images or descriptions in the story? What is the possible symbolism of the imagery.
