Essay #2

Essay #2 is due on Wednesday, April 9th. Choose from one of the three essay prompts below. You may also develop a prompt of your own, but please run the idea by me first.

1) Compare the notion of the Romantic hero in Goethe' FAUST and the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Consider how the desire for knowledge and experience, and the extremes of ecstasy and despair inform these works.

2) Both NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND and THE FATE OF THE COCKROACH satirize human absurdities and pretensions. In both works, the Underground Man and the cockroaches face the meaninglessness of their existence. Discuss how these works explore the human condition.

3) Lorca's "Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias" and Tolstoy's THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH both mourn and commemorate the death of someone. Consider how the works reflect on larger, human issues.

Your paper should be 4-6 pages long, and should incorporate quotes from the texts as support. You should create a bold, unique thesis as well. Remember, the prompts above are only suggestions of where to begin thinking about these texts.

As always, your paper should have 1 inch margins all around and should be typed in Times Roman 12 pt font. You do not need any outside research for this paper, but if you DO use another source, please cite it appropriately within the paper and in a Works Cited page as well.