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Joyce and Cheever Essay Back to Assignments

AP Literature and Composition

Analytical Essays:

	Carefully analyze the final passages of “The Dead” in light of the whole story that has come before. What is Gabriel’s final epiphany, and how is the snow symbolic of it? Look carefully at not only the meaning of the words but also at their rhythm and syntax, i.e., “falling faintly . . . faintly falling.”
	Cheever and Joyce both use the device of “epiphany” to great effect. Show how each of them designed their stories to lead up to some epiphany, and decide which one was more successful at it.
	Such characters as Cash Bentley, Thomas Chandler, Neddy Merrill, and Farrington have a great deal in common. What is the common thread that unites these men, and how are they treated differently in the hands of their respective authors?
	Who is the better writer—Joyce or Cheever?
	Both writers use the “objective correlative” (musty biscuits, spider web) to evoke mood and theme. Show how each of them went about it, and decide whether one or the other was more the “master” of it.
	Of all the stories that we read, which were the best and worst? Argue your position.
	The introductions to these stories are critical. Show how Joyce and Cheever achieved their effects by making reference to several of their beginnings.

Creative Essays:

	Create a scene in which a man and a woman are clearly in conflict. You may set it anywhere you choose (kitchen, restaurant, street corner, etc.), and you may use any devices such as their thoughts, speech to other people, memories, actions, etc. But they may not speak to each other, and they may not touch each other.
	You must express who and what your character is solely by describing your character's setting and possessions. You may have your character in the scene, manipulating the possessions and even thinking thoughts, but you may not have him/her interact with or talk to anyone. Think here of "A Little Cloud" as your prime example.
	Solely through dialogue, have your two characters establish their setting, current and previous relationship, age, physical characteristics, and conflict. This can be ANYTHING. (Not aliens, hobbits, trolls, or witches).