As a homosexual author, how does Walt Curtis portray homosexuals/bisexuals throughout the work? Does he present them in positive, negative, or realistic ways? Is he trying to show how a person deals with sexual identity, or is he using taboo subject matter as a gimmick? Defend your interpretations.
How does the narrator focus on Johnny and his friends being Mexican? How does he focus on their cultural differences? What theme is Curtis portraying through the narrator’s view of the Mexican characters? Overall, how does Walt Curtis portray these Mexican characters?
How is Walt Curtis using these characters to explore what it means to be homosexual and male? How does Curtis use the narrator and Roberto, especially, to convey the conflicts between being homosexual and feeling masculine, feminine, or gender nonconforming? What theme is Curtis conveying through their genders?
How is Walt Curtis using the Mexican characters to convey the American spirit of independence? How are the boys exhibiting true freedom of expression, the carpe diem mentally, and the pioneer spirit?
All the characters are focused on obtaining money for a variety of reasons. How is Curtis using this novella to show the economic struggles in America?
Research anxiety disorders and clinical depression. How is Walt Curtis using the narrator to convey how anxiety and depression can control a person’s life? What themes is he conveying through this character’s conditions and general mental state?
Find one extended passage about a paragraph long or 5-6 sentences of dialogue that reveal one or more of the characters’ significance and meaning in the novella. In a 2 paragraph essay, discuss how and why this passage is important to create this character and one of the major themes. Consider these questions: How does the passage reveal the character’s traits? How does it show how the character conveys one of the work’s themes? Why is the passage meaningful overall?
What ideas concerning love is de Villeneuve conveying in this fairy tale? How are her themes connected to what ways in which people love similar to and different from other works we’ve read for this course?
How is de Villeneuve reinforcing gender roles? How is she using this story to teach girls what women should and should not be and act like? How is she using this story to reflect how men should be and act?
How does de Villeneuve characterize Beauty’s sisters? What is her purpose in the way she creates these characters? What themes are being conveyed through the sisters?
How does de Villeneuve explore the concept of free will? Is Beauty free to make her choices, or is she pressured into all of her choices throughout the text? Is the fairy manipulating her in any way? What themes are being conveyed by de Villeneuve’s focus on free will?
This story was published in 1938. If you’re not familiar with the rise of Nazi Germany, please research a bit about it (Wikipedia is completely acceptable for this purpose!). How is Campbell using this story to show the dangers of the rise of Nazism and the potential spread of Nazi ideas? In what ways do you think Campbell is showing how easy it is for people to succumb to terrible ideas? (250 words)
Campbell has Blair allude to Pandora. What is the meaning of this allusion? How is Campbell using this allusion to show the dangers of scientific curiosity? Overall, is this novella anti-science, pro-science, or ambiguous concerning the role of science? (250 words)
Provide a passage from the novella then discuss how it conveys a particular theme. Your response should be 2-3 full paragraph in length. Thank you!
Please answer in specific detail using 3-4 full paragraphs words full sentences, citing three pieces of textual evidence with page numbers. The prompt is as follows: This work has been adapted into cartoons, plays, musicals, films, and other novels since its conception. Although this narrative clearly has had a timeless appeal, is there anything time-bounded or dated about it in the first half? Are there aspects of the story, characters, style, or setting that decrease the accessibility or appeal of the book for a modern audience? Defend your stance.