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Objectives:
You will be able to
You may choose from one of the prompts to guide your writing. The prompts are merely a
starting point, and you do not have to answer all of the questions for each prompt. If you
decide to embark on your own paper topic, you must acquire approval from the teacher first.
Essay Prompts:
1. In many novels and plays, tension arises between a characters outward conformity to
societal norms and his or her inner struggle to achieve a sense of individuality. Write a wellorganized essay in which you detail how Janies struggle lends meaning to the novel. Do not
merely sum up the ways in which she conforms.
2. How important is Hurston's use of vernacular dialect to our understanding of Janie and the
other characters and their way of life? What do speech patterns reveal about the quality of
these lives and the nature of these communities? In what ways are "their tongues cocked and
loaded, the only real weapon" of these people? How does the dialect contrast with the thirdperson omniscient narration?
3. Many of Hurstons critics initially dismissed Their Eyes Were Watching God as fiction with no
meaning or purpose. Readers have discovered, however, that, while her novel is not overtly
political, it does address many pertinent social issues. In a well-written essay, identify and
discuss the central questions the novel raises and the answers that it offers. You may consider
issues of race, gender, and class.
(Additional resource: How it Feels to be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston)
4. To qualify as a symbol, an element must consistently point beyond itself toward a greater
idea. Select a symbol from the novel and write an essay in which you justify its use by detailing
its relationship to the characters, the setting, or the plot. Do not merely offer a catalogue list of
symbols and their meanings.
5. What are the differences between the language of the men and that of Janie and the other
women? How do the differences in language reflect the two groups' approaches to life, power,
relationships, and self-realization? How do the novel's first two paragraphs point to these
differences?
Essay prompts adapted from https://piazza.com/class_profile/get_resource/.../ha4j7zodp3o59i
Timeline:
Due Date
Assignment
Monday, October 27
Tuesday, October 28
Thursday, October 20
Wednesday, November 5
Monday, November 10
3: This paper has weaker writing skills than a 4. It has less organization, more
misinterpretations, inadequate development, serious omissions. Quotes are missing. The
student uses contractions and/or a chatty, non-academic tone. The writer uses a negative
and/or judgmental tone. The writer does not answer all the parts of the question. There is no
conclusion.
2: There are very few, if any, concrete details. Thesis is weak or non-existent. There are
distracting errors in sentence structure, diction, spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics. The
paper rambles because of a lack of control, organization, and/or development. The paper is
illegible.
1: This paper is unacceptably brief or incoherently long, full of mechanical errors. It misses the
focus of the topic. The writer does not answer the question. The writer draws or writes
silly/cynical things.
Reference
Effinger, Sandra. "Just For Advanced Placement Teachers." Sandra Effinger -- MsEffie's
LifeSavers for Teachers. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.