Choose ONE of the following topics; discuss and analyze it in a 750-word essay. Remember that your THESIS, the main idea of your essay, must be an ARGUABLE ASSERTION about something SPECIFIC and SIGNIFICANT. Support your thesis with specific details (EVENTS, IMAGES, PHRASES) drawn from the material.
Your essay MUST focus primarily on
The Color Purple.
It may compare it to ONE of the newer versions of the Cinderella story (“When the Clock Strikes”, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”, “The Necklace”) or ONE of the older versions (“Ashputtle”,“The Cat Cinderella”, “Cendrillon”, and the Chinese, African, Native American, Japanese, Iraqi, Filipino and Scottish Cinderella tales). You may discuss the essays by Panttaja, Yolen, or Bettelheim. (DO NOT write about Disney’s “Cinderella”; essays focusing on Disney material or anything NOT on this list will NOT be graded.)
CINDERELLA-- FINAL ESSAY TOPICS (FINAL ESSAY DUE NOVEMBER 19, 2012) CULTURAL PARADIGMS-- FINAL ESSAY TOPICS Choose ONE of the following topics; discuss and analyze it in a 750-word essay. Remember that your THESIS, the main idea of your essay, must be an ARGUABLE ASSERTION about something SPECIFIC and SIGNIFICANT. Support your thesis with specific details (EVENTS, IMAGES, PHRASES) drawn from the material. Your essay MUST focus primarily on The Color Purple. It may compare it to ONE of the newer versions of the Cinderella story (“When the Clock Strikes”, “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”, “The Necklace”) or ONE of the older versions (“Ashputtle”,“The Cat Cinderella”, “Cendrillon”, and the Chinese, African, Native American, Japanese, Iraqi, Filipino and Scottish Cinderella tales). You may discuss the essays by Panttaja, Yolen, or Bettelheim. (DO NOT write about Disney’s “Cinderella”; essays focusing on Disney material or anything NOT on this list will NOT be graded.) THIS ESSAY IS WORTH 30% AND IS DUE APRIL 24. Essays submitted BETWEEN APRIL 24 AND MAY 1 lose 10% of the given mark. NO ESSAYS are accepted after MAY 1. ESSAYS MUST –BE BETWEEN 750 AND 800 WORDS (or 10% will be deducted from the given mark) –USE FORMAL ACADEMIC STYLE (or 10% will be deducted from the given mark) --USE BLOCK OR POINT-BY-POINT FORMAT to compare and contrast –BE WORD DOCUMENTS –DEFINE all relevant terms and SUMMARIZE all texts mentioned, and IN YOUR OWN WORDS (or 10% will be deducted) –HAVE CITATIONS and BIBLIOGRAPHIES in MLA format (or 5% will be taken off) 1. “CINDERELLA”, OLD AND NEW– To show which element of a Cinderella story is the most essential, compare and contrast The Color Purple, a modern Cinderella story, with an older folktale version. What aspects of the story have changed? Why can the newer tale still be considered a Cinderella story? 2. CINDERELLA’S STEPSISTERS– Does The Color Purple include sibling rivalry? Must a Cinderella story include sibling rivalry? Does it matter if Cinderella has stepsisters, sisters, or brothers? Must her step-siblings or siblings be unsympathetic characters, and must they come to bad ends? Compare and contrast Walker’s novel with another version of the Cinderella story, refer to Bettelheim’s essay, and offer your conclusions. 3. FIRST-PERSON NARRATION–Most Cinderella stories use third-person narration. Cinderella stories are rarely recounted by a Cinderella, a stepsister, or a stepmother. Why do “When the Clock Strikes” and The Color Purple use first-person narration? Discuss the first-person narrator and the purpose of first-person narration, comparing and contrasting these works. 4. REVENGE–Why does revenge seem to be a motif in so many Cinderella stories? Discuss the revenge motif in The Color Purple, and compare it to a story in which the Cinderella figure (directly or indirectly) has her revenge on those who have mistreated her. Are all of Cinderella’s tormentors punished? Why, or why not? Does the emphasis on revenge affect the themes of Cinderella stories? Refer to Bettelheim’s and/or Panttaja’s essays here.