ENGLISH 30-­‐1 A Streetcar Named Desire GROUP MOTIF ASSIGNMENT In a group of 3-­‐5 (4 is ideal) you will choose one of the topics below. Your group will be given class time (approx. 3 periods) to plan and prepare: a) a one-­‐page word-­‐processed summary of your topic, including both interpretive understanding and precise and carefully selected supporting evidence, including key quotes, which will be photocopied and given to the class as a study/reference tool. b) A 10-­‐15 minute presentation of your material to the class, based on but extending and expanding on the material on the handout. 1. “Desire” is both a central word and motif in the play. As thoroughly as possible, outline the types of desires in the play, the characters they are associated with, and the degree to which these desires have been fulfilled by the end of the play. 2. Streetcar is often classified as a modern tragedy. Traditionally, the tragic hero/heroine is a person of primarily admirable qualities who comes to disaster as a result of character flaws or forces beyond his/her control. Explain the ways in which Blanche fits and/or doesn’t fit this definition. 3. The deaths of her young husband and of members of her family at Belle Reve are extremely significant in understanding Blanche’s character and behavior. Examine the motif of death in the play as it relates to Blanche’s complex character. 4. Many of the names of people/places in the play carry symbolic significance. Explain the associations connected to the following names, and to others in the play which you see as important: Blanche Dubois, Stanley Kowalski, Belle Reve, Elysian Fields, Shep Huntleigh, the streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries, etc. 5. Stella is a complex character. Outline the key aspects of her personality, focusing on the nature of her relationships with Blanche and Stanley. Why did She leave Belle Reve? Why Stanley? Why does she stay with him? 6. In scene 4, Blanche says that Stanley “acts like an animal”. Trace the development of Stanley’s character through a focus on the “animal” imagery associated with him in both positive and negative manners. 7. In scene 6, Blanche says of Stanley, “That man is my executioner. That man will destroy me”. Trace the evolution of their relationship, examining if and how Blanche’s prediction turns out to be true. 8. In scene 9, Blanche tells Mitch, “I don’t want realism. I want magic”. In the play she employs a number of strategies (i.e. drinking, lying, avoidance of light, obsession with youthful appearance, constant bathing, etc.) to aid her in avoiding the harsh realities of her life. Explore how these strategies enable Blanche to avoid reality, at least for a time. 9. Mitch serves an important function in the play. Examine his character both as a complex individual and also as a character foil to both Stanley and Blanche. ENGLISH 30-­‐1 THE ROAD GROUP MOTIF ASSIGNMENT In a group of 3-­‐5 (4 is ideal) you will choose one of the topics below. Your group will be given class time (approx. 3 periods) to plan and prepare: c) a one-­‐page word-­‐processed summary of your topic, including both interpretive understanding and precise and carefully selected supporting evidence, including key quotes, which will be photocopied and given to the class as a study/reference tool. d) A 10-­‐15 minute presentation of your material to the class, based on but extending and expanding on the material on the handout 1. The Road is packed with description, and particularly with description of colors. Trace and examine McCarthy’s use of color imagery in the novel in terms of the development and enhancement of character, mood, and theme/idea. 2. References to fire and water are abundant throughout the book. Examine and explain the complex symbolic significance of these two elements in the novel. 3. Memories and/or dreams are a recurrent motif in the novel. Identify how McCarthy employs memory and dream to develop his characters and themes/ideas. 4. There are a number of religious and/or spiritual allusions and references in the novel. Identify a number of these references and explain how they contribute to the development of McCarthy’s themes/ideas. 5. A number of critics have observed that the boy is as much a symbol as a realistic character. Do you agree with this view? If not, why not? If so, what aspects of human nature do you see him symbolizing? 6. One of the recurring distinctions in the novel is between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”. Identify those in the novel who belong to these two groups, explain what differentiates the two groups, and explore McCarthy’s reasons for employing what appears to be such a simplistic distinction. 7. In such a barren world, objects such as the gun, the shopping cart, the can of Coke, etc. take on significance far beyond what they have in our world. Examine these objects and others that you can identify, and explain their special significance to the novel ‘s characters and themes/ideas. 8. Many readers and critics have found McCarthy’s vision of the world and of humanity in this novel to be oppressively and completely bleak and hopeless. Do you share that view, or do you see positive and/or hopeful elements in McCarthy’s tale? Support your position with details/examples. 9. The boy’s mother, while actually present only for a short time, is ever present in the novel. Summarize what we know of her character, her values and motivations, and her legacy/influence on her husband and son. ENGLISH 10-­‐1 Oliver Twist GROUP MOTIF ASSIGNMENT In a group of 3-­‐5 (4 is ideal) you will choose one of the topics below. Your group will be given class time (approx. 3 periods) to plan and prepare: a) a one-­‐page word-­‐processed summary of your topic, including both interpretive understanding and precise and carefully selected supporting evidence, including key quotes, which will be photocopied and given to the class as a study/reference tool. b) a 10-­‐15 minute presentation of your material to the class, based on but extending and expanding on the material on the handout 1. In his “Preface” Dickens wrote that he “wished to show, in little Oliver, the principle of goodness surviving through every adverse circumstance, and triumphing at last.” To what degree does this description fit the portrayal of Oliver in the novel, including the issue of whether Oliver is a realistic character? 2. In Oliver Twist, as in most Dickens novels, carefully chosen and suggestive names are prevalent. Explain how names are used in the novel to aid in the development of character and/or theme. 3. Often a social critic, Dickens in Oliver Twist examines the plight and treatment of the poor, particularly in the light of the passing of the New Poor Law in 1834. Explain the basics of this law and explore Dickens’ criticism of it in the novel. 4. Dickens is known for his use of caricature in developing character, a technique in which aspects of personality are exaggerated for comic or satiric effect. Examine how Dickens employs caricature in Oliver Twist. 5. The character of Fagin has been controversial from the time the novel was published in terms of the question of whether Dickens is guilty of anti-­‐
Semitism in his portrayal of “the Jew”. Explain and take a position on this issue. 6. Some critics have observed that Dickens female characters are typically either idealistically good, even angelic, or completely horrid, evil creatures. Examine Dickens’ treatment of women in Oliver Twist. 7. Examine the complex relationship between Nancy and Bill Sikes as Dickens develops it in the novel. 8. A Dickens trademark is a large cast of memorable minor characters. Examine two of these characters in terms of how they contribute to the richness of the novel as a whole. 9. Dickens had complex and maybe even contradictory attitudes towards crime and the laws and punishments connected to it. Examine his treatment of crime, the law, punishment and prisons, etc. in the novel.