Shea, Roy, Danielle, and Lucio

Many of the texts we have read this semester have explored prejudice and social constraints. Choose one or more of the stories we have read this semester and analyze the prejudice presented and the outcome/epiphany (of lack thereof) that comes from the exploration of the prejudice. To support your claim, be sure to refer to the literary techniques and metatextual concepts within the story (or stories) you are discussing.

Sonnee, Matt, Kristin, and Alex

The beginning of the story "Battle Royal" opens with the narrator's grandfather saying something that affects the main character for the rest of the story. How do similar events affect other main characters in other stories?

Joe, James, Micah, and Aaron

Consider "Cathedral" and "Battle Royal." Between the two stories, compare the three main characters (Ellison, the Blind Man, and the Husband) and how they become more self-aware (or self-perceived). Also, compare the underlying themes of racism and stereotypes in both stories.

Michael, Cody, Justin, Aaron B

In a few of the stories that we've read thus far this semester, there has been a subtle theme of a charatcter or group of characters having an outward appearance of being good, upstanding citizens, but then there is a discovery that reveals these appearances to be false. Discuss a couple of stories where this happens and how the author shows the evil nature and depravity of the human condition.

Heather, Alejandro, Jordan, Santiago, Edward

1. In Ellison's "Battle Royal," how is the main character invisible to the people around him? What caused him to be this way?

2. How do you feel the battle royal could be symbolic to the character's life or society as a whole?

3. Was the character following in his grandfather's footsteps. Did this make him a "traitor"?

4. How does the character see his community/grandfather/himself as the brass-alloy tokens that he reached for in the battle?

Filmic Conventions and Literary Adaptation

Please take a look online for some information about Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  Based on the information (whether it concerns plot, author biography, or critical interpretation) you learned, what intersections between Conrad's story and the segment of the film story Apocalypse Now that you watched in class today are of greatest interest to you?  Why?  Why do you think Coppola would reinvent Conrad's classic story (indeed, an allegorical story) in the way that he did on film?  How does the film tell its story?  What are the important differences between filmic strategies and textual ones?  You might also want to address text, metatext, and subtext in your post. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Justin, Alex, Jorge, Cody, and Aaron B.'s Group

An important element in the short story is a powerful first line. Which story from this semester uses this element to introduce other story elements, such as setting, point of view, theme, symbolism, or allegory? Explain.