woman hollering creek ,” sandra cisneros reveals W r i t i n g

Please respond to ONE of the following questions in a written response of about 300-500 words (approx. 1-2 pages). In your response, you need to discuss the particular theme indicated in the question, so you should have a thesis statement to follow. Don’t stray from literary work you are discussing. You should use specific examples from the text to support your views. You may use your book and your class notes, but you may NOT use any other outside sources (this includes all internet sources).

Choose only one question to respond:

1. In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner introduces a character consumed with the past. Examine Emily as symbol of the past and contrast her lifestyle to the present society. How does the society respond to her? How does Faulkner show the decay of the past ideals that Emily clings to?

2. In John Updike’s “A&P”, the narrator Sammy thinks he better than everyone else, which suggests a narcissist attitude. Narcissism is a state in which one focuses entirely on self, often elevating oneself above others, and is often motivated by pride, vanity, or even naivety. How does Sammy demonstrates these traits in the story? Does his attitude make him blind to reality? How does his realization at the end suggest a change?

3. In “Woman Hollering Creek,” Sandra Cisneros reveals a strained relationship between men and women in which men repress or harm women. The theme of repression can be seen both in Cleofilas’s experience and the larger community. How does Cisneros show the power men have over women in this society? What is Cleofilas’s concept of marriage and why does she allow her husband grace? How does the end of the story suggest freedom from this domestic repression?

4. In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “An Old Man with Enormous Wings,” the idea of the outsider emerges in the misunderstanding of the old man. He is used for profit and then ignored and even despised. How does Garcia Marquez suggest the old man is an outsider? Why does the community lose interest in him? What could the old man symbolize as an outsider?