You are doing a wonderful job on the questions. This is tough reading material, but I’m really proud of the way you’re all tackling it. We will talk about all of the stories in more detail the first week of school. Meanwhile, remember that I would like you to choose one selection and write a five paragraph essay on some aspect of the reading. One person has asked about writing on concentration camps–this would be a great topic. This would be a historical essay and is certainly appropriate to The Diary of a Young Girl. Make sure whichever topic you choose links somehow back to the reading selection. Here are some more possibilities:
Hedda Gabler
You might explore the feminist aspects of the play. What kind of a life did Hedda lead? What power did she have?
On the other hand, how about the way in which the men in the play demonstrated a lack of confidence?
A Hunger Artist
How about the symbolism of religion? How long did they allow him to fast? Why was the the image of a caged panther more appealing to the audience?
Infant Prodigy
What does this story imply about the nature of people? What do we seek and how does our idolatry of sports figures or movie stars actually affect the livelihood of those individuals?
Diary of a Young Girl
Historical–concentration camps, the timeline of Nazi invasions, the factual information of the Annex
Psychological–how is Anne a regular teenage girl? How does guilt about living affect her? What do you think about her relationship with her parents?
Marxist–It’s hard for the modern day reader to understand the thinking that leads to such intense prejudice, and yet it is vitally important for contemporary audiences to look back and try to find the causes of such thinking in order to prevent atrocities such as the Holocaust from reoccurring. Marxist theory is a fancy way of saying look at the ideas of inequality that lead to such horrific results. What was happening in Germany prior to World War II that made these sentiments possible?
If you have questions, please ask them on the blog so that everyone may benefit from the answers.
See you soon!
Posted by Jenn Gutierrez 
