Choose 1 of the following prompts to respond to. See below.
1. Mr. Ryder states the following: "Self preservation is the first law of nature” (), which he uses
to justify his life choices. Stop to think about what "self-preservation" means first. Then,
○ Is self-preservation beneficial to the individual if one must give up all they know
to be accepted? (What does such acceptance mean if one must reinvent the self to
achieve acceptance and/or happiness)....Take a stance.
2. In "The Two Offers" the narrator contrasts Laura and Jeanette character to examine the role of
womanhood. Using one of the characters as evidence, what does the story suggest about the
expectations of women? (Yes, there are many expectations, but choose 1 expectation that you
can explore in one paragraph and use the character as evidence to prove your ideas about these
expectations).
When Mr. Ryder reinvents himself as the leader of the Blue Vein Society, the "acceptance" he achieves is precarious and hollow because it is predicated on a lie. Such acceptance does not validate the man; it validates the mask. By prioritizing a version of self-preservation that demands he "give up all he knows," Ryder creates a psychological prison where he must constantly distance himself from his past—symbolized by Liza Jane. Happiness achieved through reinvention is not true fulfillment but rather a state of perpetual performance. True self-preservation should involve the protection of one's integrity; if the "self" is completely replaced to gain entry into a social class, then the original individual has not been preserved at all—they have been extinguished.When Mr. Ryder reinvents himself as the leader of the Blue Vein Society, the "acceptance" he achieves is precarious and hollow because it is predicated on a lie. Such acceptance does not validate the man; it validates the mask. By prioritizing a version of self-preservation that demands he "give up all he knows," Ryder creates a psychological prison where he must constantly distance himself from his past—symbolized by Liza Jane. Happiness achieved through reinvention is not true fulfillment but rather a state of perpetual performance. True self-preservation should involve the protection of one's integrity; if the "self" is completely replaced to gain entry into a social class, then the original individual has not been preserved at all—they have been extinguished.