Get Answer to Reflection Essay – Choose one of the questions below and write a 750-1000 word (about 3-4 page) reflection. Your primary source material should be close readings of passages from the texts: that is, you should use quotation and paraphrase from the texts as examples to illustrate the points you make in your reflection. For this unit, you should also include at least one scholarly source (i.e. a piece of literary criticism from an academic journal). Any additional sources should also be reputable (e.g. book reviews, historical context), and as always you should refrain from explainer pages like Shmoop/Sparknotes (they’re helpful, but not appropriate for scholarly writing). Both outside sources and your texts must be cited in parenthetical citations and on your Works Cited page.
1. The women in the novels we’ve read for this unit have been fully realized, but also deeply flawed, people. How does this portrayal of complicated women sometimes acting badly intersect with our ideas of feminism and/or feminist literature? Use examples from at least two novels for your answer.
2. Culturally, we talk a lot about likeability in connection to both fictional and real-life women. How do these novels complicated, confront, work to redeem, etc. “unlikeable” women? What (if anything) does that tell us about likeability as a character trait? (Possibly something to consider: What is the difference between nice & kind? Between good & likeable? Between fully realized & strong?). You should discuss at least one character from each novel.
3. Although each of these novels features women as individual protagonists, their stories also situate them inside larger communities or cultures. Discuss how the women in at least two of these novels function in connection with these larger community/cultural contexts. How are they shaped by these connections? How do they rebel against them? How do they challenge ideology about women’s roles?
4. All of our protagonists in this unit have complicated, intersectional identities. Using at least two novels from this unit, discuss the ways this intersectionality functions in shaping the protagonists’ lives and fortunes.
5. Write this paper the hard way: Choose an idea/theme/overarching question you want to explore that ties these novels together. First, write the question (and include it at the top of your response), then write your response. (this should still use at least two of the novels)
The books used were:
Nightwood
Nevada
Wide Sargasso Sea
Sula