- Identity. In many of the readings for this semester, we met characters who are searching for identity. Choose one major character from either “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen or “Fences” by August Wilson, and one major character either from “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman or from another assigned story, play, or poem of your choice, who is searching for identity, and analyze how the pressures and expectations of society influence those characters. In your essay, analyze and discuss how society’s expectations influence these characters’ actions, impulses, and desires. How do these two characters react to society’s pressures and expectations? How might these two characters be transformed by those pressures and expectations?
- Escapism. Explore the theme of escapism in “The Story of an Hour” and “Young Goodman Brown.” Identify what the main characters were escaping from and how this escape was accomplished. What was the consequence of their escape? Was this desire to escape a reflection of their society, or was it a flaw in the characters’ personality?
- Machismo. How does Henrik Ibsen through the characterization of Torvald in “A Doll House” and August Wilson through the characterization of Troy Maxon in “Fences” portray the stereotypical macho man? Is their portrayal the same as 21st Century machismo? Use your primary and secondary sources to develop a coherent argument in which you back up your position with evidence from your sources.
- American Dream. The idea of the American dream is present in “Fences”, “Theme for English B,” “We Wear the Mask,” and “Incident.” Explore the white-washing of the American dream. Analyze the role skin color plays in attaining the American dream. Discuss how this is still evident in 21st century society.
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