1.

John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums," Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," and Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie all deal in some measure with women who are at odds with social expectations. Write a brief essay in which you compare and contrast these expectations and the women's response to them. Indeed, the stories of The Chrysanthemums, My Last Duchess, and The Glass Menagerie relate the same issue of women being used and abused by man. Always a patriarchy society has seen women either as sexual object or an unvalued person who exist to serve the males and children. For example, The Chrysanthemums narrates the life of Elisa who felt unappreciated and lack of affection from her husband. When she met a stranger she was very happy to give him the chrysanthemums in a nice pot. Later, when she found the plant thrown on the road, she realized that the stranger man had never being interested in the chrysanthemums but only in keeping the pot for his own purpose. The chrysanthemums were unvalued for the stranger as same as Elisas life was always unvalued for her husband. Second, My Last Dutchess reveals the story about the murder of the duke's previous wife. The duke was an abuser husband who killed his wife. The duke's desire for control over women is made evident in the poem. The duke of Ferrara is a controlling, manipulative, and jealous man who is negotiating his second marriage. Third, in The Glass Menagerie Laura is used by her mother, Amanda. Lauras mother was abandoned by her husband so she became obsessed to accomplish self-seeking dreams by using her daughter as an object to marry her with a wealth man. Indeed, the three stories represent how women were used and abused in one way or another by a dominated society. Although Elisa and the chrysanthemums represent the beauty of women, they ended unappreciated and unvalued for men. On the other hand, the duke was unable to control the duchess when she was alive, after her death he is in complete control of females. Moreover, in The Glass Menagerie Lauras animal glass collection represented her fragile and unvalued life that can be broken anytime by her abusing and dominated mother. In conclusion, the women characters on the two stories and in the poem, felt themselves unvalued females who lived under the rules of a patriarchy society in which they are used, abused, and slaved by men. 2. In dealing with the same works cited in question one, write a brief essay (200-300 words) in which you discuss how the genre or form of the literature affects the communication of the works' themes and your response to them. The variety of literary genre or forms of literature has particular elements that contribute the communication and respond of the reader. For that reason, it is important to identified the form of literature of The Chrysanthemums, My Last Duchess, and The Glass Menagerie in order to respond how they affect the communication of the works themes as well as how the written work of literature impacts the readers understanding. First, The Chrysanthemums, is a short fiction. As I learned about short fiction, the imagery and symbolism are important elements that provide rich sources for the readers insight. Indeed, it was interesting to identify the purpose of the author in using the image of a plant called chrysanthemums to symbolize the way men unvalued the life of Elisa. Second, the poem of My Last Duchess is written with a dramatic monologue. It is written in 28 rhymed couplets, with comprises rhymes that dont closed at the end of the sentence but rather remain as a force of the Duke's compulsive revelations. But the most remarkable is the preceded word Ferrara which indicates that the speaker is most likely Alfonso II, fifth Duke of Ferrara. Third, the drama or play of The Glass Menagerie, relies on the scenes background and the passionate speech of the characters. In this story the scene of a glass collection of animals represents Lauras fragile life as a glass in danger of being

broken anytime. Also, the importance of the speech illustrates the charged nature of language that readers may expect in a play. In conclusion, the imagery and symbolism of the short fiction; the dramatic monologue and the rhymed couplets of the poem; as well as the passionate speech and scene background of the play are significant elements in literature. In fact, the genre of literature and its structure affects the communication of the works' themes in a positive way and may influence the healthy insights of the readers.
3. Write a brief essay (200-300 words) in which you describe how your work in the course has affected your attitude toward art and literature and how your reading habits have been affected by what you have learned.

The literary works in the course like short fiction, short story, and drama or play, was a meaningful knowledge experience. By learning the structure, elements, and guidelines of literature I increased my interest of reading. For example, one of the literary works that has enlarged my interest to read is poetry. To be honest, I always being uninterested to read poetry because I thought it is difficult to understand and ultimately bored rigid. However, reading some poems in the course and learning how to apply its literary elements has helped me to appreciate the beauty of it. I would say that poetry became enjoyable after the application of the poetrys essentials such as simile, symbols, tone, reading the stanzas multiple times, and paying attention to key words. By following those elements my attitude about poetry is more optimistic. For example, when I reread some poems and highlighted the key words to find the meaning by using a dictionary influenced my comprehension of the poems literal meaning. Moreover, learning about the roles of the persona and the narrator may facilitate the poetrys reader to identify the theme. It was important to discover that poets sometimes speak through the voice of a created character. This pattern also can occur with the narrator of a short story but most of the times the narrator doesnt involve himself/herself in the story. In conclusion, I would encourage all to experience the value of reading short fiction, short story, poetry, play or dramas because they increase our reading skills and knowledge. In my personal experience, I like to confess that the literature course not only did improve my reading skills but also affect positively my attitude about poetry. 4. Select the work of literature read in this course that had the greatest personal impact on you. Write a brief essay (200-300 words) in which you describe this impact, how it was elicit by the literature, and how you have been changed in the process. The story of The Boarded Window written by Ambrose Bierce has impacted my insight because of its richness theme about the American history and the human condition of living isolated. For example, I found that the frontiers were brave people who decided to occupy the remote areas in America. The American history records the tragedy of thousands of frontiers in the wilderness who died by getting terrible illness and lack of access to medical treatment. Also, they have experienced grief and death of their love ones caused by the attack of wild animals. In the story of The Boarded Window, the main character is Murlock, who remained himself isolated and self-lacked of being helped in times of great need. Indeed, the storys theme of isolation has impacted not only my critical thinking but also has elevated my own self-view about the social issue of isolation. On one hand, the issue of isolation continues in our days by some people who prefer to live segregated lifestyles. I believe, by remaining isolated a person self-lack the opportunity to receive help in times of urgency and need. On the other hand, as a Christs follower, I believe God has created us to live in community. We are created to live for others, care one another, and support each other. The remoteness of Murlocks living condition in the wilderness and choosing to live an isolated life left him out powerless and abandoned until his death.

Although Murlock expressed externally to be an insensitive person, in times of grief he internally had a genuine human desire of being care from others. In conclusion, The Boarded Window has deeply impacted my insights about the social matter of isolation and Gods purpose for humans to live in community. For that reason, people who prefer to live isolate from others not only lacks the opportunity to support the society in terms of community living but also may experience grief and death alone by the self-lack of being cared from others.

5.

In the history of literary criticism, some writers have argued that literature should be morally neutral, that art is only for art's sake, not for the sake of an ulterior ethical or religious agenda. Others have argued that literature is inherently moral as the human condition is inherently moral or value-laden. In a brief essay (200-300 words), discuss this issue using at least one work of literature from the reading selections to illustrate your opinions

Most of the time, literature genre such as short story, fiction, poetry or drama, is purposely written to elevate the readers reflection on themes that speak about human concerns. For that reason, I disagree when some writers argue that literature should be morally neutral because the art is only for the arts sake. For example, when I read the short story of Hills Like White Elephants written by Ernest Hemingway, I couldnt deny the necessity to apply a critical thinking but also to reflect on the moral principles in regards of the issue about abortion. The drama of Hills Like White Elephants is a story in which the character (an American man) thinks that happiness in his relationship may be recovered if his girlfriend accepts to have an abortion. He denied any moral value, the danger of her girlfriends dignity and his childs life. The narrative of the issue about abortion raises the moral principles of the readers and induces them to support either the pro-choice or the pro-life judgments. On the other hand, I couldnt overlook how the Hills Like White Elephants story invites the Christian readers to test their spiritual conviction about abortion. Christian readers may contrast Hemingways story with the Bibles verse in Ephesians 1:4, For he chose us in him before the creation of the world. This biblical true tells us that Gods already chose us when we were knit together in a mothers womb. Therefore, the story of Hemingways cannot prevent Christian readers to argue the practice of abortion because it diminishes Gods creation and His unconditional love for humans. In conclusion, I disagree with some writers assumption that the art of literature is only for the arts sake. As we see, the short story of Hills Like White Elephants shouldnt be morally neutral because the central message of it does empower and affect not only the ethical opinion of some people but also open up the religious concerns about human life issues.