English 12 H ~ Ms. Rose
Existentialism Essay: The Stranger and “The Metamorphosis”
Option One: Write a four to five page essay analyzing The Stranger and “The
Metamorphosis.”
Option Two: Write a personal response, describing your reaction(s) to the ideas connected to existentialism in The Stranger and “The Metamorphosis.” What questions do these works raise? What values or ideals do they express that resonate or that offend or confuse?
While this option is not an analytical essay, you must limit your use of first person, and you must support your ideas with ample textual evidence. Respond carefully, in a disciplined and thoughtful manner.
With both options, please consider the following guiding questions:
Examine the diction used by each author. How do certain word choices lend meaning to the text as a whole?
Each story is told from the protagonist’s point of view. What effect does this have on the reader?
How is each character alienated? How does each character alienate himself from others?
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How does each author incorporate elements of the absurd?
How does each author use setting to reinforce existential ideas?
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Does author biography/historical context enhance meaning of the text(s)?
What choices in style or structure enhance the meaning of the text(s)?
How can these stories be read optimistically?
Requirements:
Please type your essay in 12-point font, double-spaced. Begin your essay with a compelling introduction that provides a focus for your essay as well as an original thesis. Even a personal essay must provide a compelling insight. For each new idea, begin a new paragraph.
Within each paragraph, provide evidence from the text that supports your ideas. Be sure to analyze/interpret/explicate the evidence in a meaningful way. Quotations do not speak for themselves. End your essay with a concise yet thorough conclusion of your ideas. Reach for significance.
DUE: Wednesday, November 10, 2010