Essay+2

** 150 points ** This essay must be a literary analysis! Summarizing the play or novel will result in an automatic F! You are to write a fully supported essay over your assigned story. All support for the essay will come in the form of quotes from the text itself. The essay must: · Fill four full pages (yes, this means go over the fifth) · Be written in formal, MLA style (this will be graded harshly since you spent a whole semester in 110!) · Have a works cited page · Be a literary analysis – not a summary! · Be based on a topic discussed in class or one provided for you · Be formal // The Merchant of Venice // Essay Choices Ø Does Bassanio love Antonio or is he just using him for money? Ø Does Bassanio really love Portia or is he using her for her money? Ø Is Shylock not a villain? Ø Is Shylock really evil for what he does? Ø What is Shakespeare arguing about Jews in this play? Ø Who is the real villain of this play? Ø Is Portia really dutiful woman? Ø What is Shakespeare arguing by giving Portia the most important role in the play? Ø Examine Shylock’s rhetoric. Pay special attention to the quality of his language—his use of metaphor and repetition, for instance. How do his speeches reflect his character as a whole? What is Shakespeare arguing? Ø To what extent is Shylock defined by his Jewishness? To what extent is he defined by his profession? What conflicts are created by these two opposing interests? Ø Is Bassanio a worthy husband for Portia? Ø Examine the role of Nerissa. How can it be said that she is the most important character in the play? Ø Does Jessica regret her conversion? Why? Why might she have converted if this was the case? Ø Discuss how the trial scene reveals a conflict between justice and mercy. Is the conflict resolved? If so, how? // Brave New World // Essay Choices
 * 214 Essay 2 **
 * What argument is Shakespeare making about homosexuality here?

Ø Argue whether the World State is really evil or a good thing. Ø Who is the real villain of this story? Who is the real protagonist? Why? Expand. Ø What claims does this book make about religion, sex, love, etc? Are they fair claims? Ø Do you think the castes reflect any aspect of contemporary society or are they simply a hypothetical consequence of a society like the World State? (keep this focused on the book mostly) Ø Is John really more free than the World State members? Ø It seems undeniable that most World State members are happy, though people like John, Bernard, and Helmholtz might criticize the quality of their lives. What, then, is wrong with World State society? Are all people secretly unhappy? Ø What are Mustapha Mond’s arguments against freedom? Is there any validity to them? ** AS always, you may pick any other topic that interests you, but you should run it by me first! **