Final Prompt

Dear 20503 Students,

The end of the semester is quickly approaching, and as I'm so very focused on constructing your final exam (and the review) your final prompt escaped me. Please accept my many apologies.

For your final post, please take a moment to reflect on our readings for this semester and choose your favorite. In your blog, tell us why it remains so high in your estimation. What did you like about it? Would you read it again? Would you recommend it to a friend?

Since I was remiss in posting, your blog for today is not due until 5 PM TOMORROW (Thursday). I hope this helps. Happy blogging, and wonderful job this semester!

Gilman and Wharton Prompt

Gilman and Wharton both address the roles of women in American society. In your post, respond to the portrayal of women, the relationships between men and women, or the institution of marriage.

Please remember your post is due Tuesday at 10 AM.

Freeman and Chesnutt Prompt

Your prompt for the Freeman and Chesnutt stories is completely open. I encourage you to post about your own thoughts and feelings while (and after reading). Of course, you'll want to make sure that your post adheres to the guidelines set out in the "Blogging Assignment" handout, but the topic of your post is completely up to you! Happy Blogging!

Chopin Prompt

Chopin explores, among other things, relationships between men and women. She is our first writer to address issues of gender and sexuality explicitly. What are your reactions to her portrayal and discussion of courting, marriage, intimacy, and motherhood?

Remember to use the text as support in your posting. Your post is due by 10 AM.

Twain and Harte Prompt

Twain and Harte are both known for their Regional writing, which is a genre that attempts to paint a portrait of different parts of the country. Many writers of this time attempted to depict "small town" America, focusing on insulated communities that make up the nation.

What are your initial reactions to Twain and Harte? How does the focus on smaller, regional communities change the comments each author makes on the nation? What new things can we learn from a regional perspectives?

Remember to use your the text as evidence in your post. Your posting is due by 10 AM tomorrow.

Davis Prompt

"It's easy to be good when you're not hungry," writes Rebecca Harding Davis in her tale of the desperate poverty of immigrant mill workers at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Davis, a writer known for her use of Realism, critiques the "real life" of American workers.

We've seen our other writers critique humanity. Stowe, Jacobs, and Douglass criticize the institution of slavery, and Poe explores the fragility of the human mind (just to name a few). How is Davis's critique of the average, working American more/less powerful? Davis, like others, is arguing for change-- but what change is she promoting? How do you think this text was received among its contemporaries? Remember to use the text in support of your answers to these questions.

Melville Prompt

Please post on your general reactions to Melville's Benito Cereno, using the text to support your ideas. Also, since I am so woefully late in posting your prompt, you'll have until 5:00 PM tomorrow (Monday) to post on your blog. Happy blogging.