Literary Analysis
4 Page Minimum
3 Scholarly Sources (including prep)
1†Margins
12 Point Times New Roman Font
MLA Format With Works Cited Page and Correct Heading
Readings for this Essay: Crosscurrents, Chapter 9
prep, Chapters 1, 3, 5
Any additional stories/poems by Sittenfeld or other authors and any resources you find directly related to or indirectly associated with the themes of the novel. Choose one of the following focused prompts and write an essay response built around an argumentative thesis.
Essay prompts:
- Choose a character to psychoanalyze.Evaluate and reason as to their actions, their motivations for those actions, and what their thoughts and actions reveal about their character; You may need to go beyond what is purely in the text—be creative (as long as i aligns with your argument.)Use actual DSM-V criteria and scholarly psychiatric studies/commentary as outside evidence to evaluate their personality and its aspects and to support your assessment of their symptoms.Provide examples from the novel itself to put actions, thoughts, and motivations into context of a personality type, or diagnosis for the audience.
- The case can be made that there are two “Lee’s, whether through two minds that have split from the one, two different personalities altogether, or the concepts of her “class consciousness†fighting her “false consciousness†of trying to fit in her where her class has determined she cannot?Why do these two exist in the first place?How do these two selves compare and differ?How are they at conflict with one another?What are some examples of these selves appearing at different times in the novel?
- Consider another narrative (whether a book, show, film, video game, etc.) in the same “coming-of-age†genre and compare and contrast the characters, setting, plot, tone, audience, and message with that of prep.What are the similar features that make them both teenage high school drama?What are the differences that set them apart?Examples: coraline, The Breakfast Club, The Harry Potter series, The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz etc.
- How does social class factor into the events of the story and the image of the characters overall?In which ways and through which images does class consciousness and conflict become the main thematic focus of the narrative?How do the classes differ in their attitude to the same subjects and topics (example: money, time?)
- Develop a prompt of your own design: Tip: you might discuss a broader theme already pre existing in the narrative such as race, gender, class, coming of age stories, and sexuality and choose to narrow this larger topic down into specific moments in the narrative, to specific characters and their motivations, to any aspect of the story in particular.Feel comfortable to write an essay on a prompt of your design!
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