Many of the stories we are reading deal with issues of tradition. For some characters, tradition stifles personal growth and development; for others, it helps establish a sense of self-worth. Think about how tradition affects the characters and plots we have encountered in our assigned readings. Using one of the assigned stories, write an essay in which you examine how an author uses literary devices to create a specific theme about tradition.
Some possibilities include (but are not limited to) how tradition prohibits personal growth, how tradition connects people to others, how tradition can create a hostile and/or unhealthy community, how tradition distort or confuse reality.
Many of the stories we are reading focus on family relationships. Whether the focus is controlling mothers, resentful daughters, or overbearing fathers, many of the stories deal with the various issues associated with family. Using one of the assigned stories, write an essay in which you examine how an author uses various literary devices to create and emphasize a theme about family.
Some possibilities include, but are not limited to, how an author defines what it means to be a good parent, how family can stifle or impede growth, how familial love can be perverted or abused, how family can be a safety net (of sorts),
