for Part 1, you will choose one of the questions the questions below. Be sure to indicate by question number which prompt you are responding to when you post Part 1. Your essay, regardless of which option you choose, should be 600-750 words in length.
Structure
Your post, which is essentially a short essay, should include an introduction (链接到外部网站。) that introduces the topic and ends with a clearly worded, 1-2 sentence thesis statement. (链接到外部网站。) Each supporting paragraph (there should be at least 3) should begin with a strong topic sentence (链接到外部网站。) and should incorporate evidence, including direct quotations from secondary scholarly sources. Direct quotations should be incorporated using the quotation sandwich method (链接到外部网站。) and proper MLA in-text citations (链接到外部网站。). The essay should also contain a strong conclusion (链接到外部网站。).
Option 1
As Maisha L. Wester argues in her book, African American Gothic: Screams from Shadowed Places, a number of contemporary African American authors have employed gothic elements in their literary works to underscore the ways in which slavery still continues to haunt the political and cultural discourses of the United States today. In August Wilson: A Literary Companion, Mary Ellen Snodgrass identifies Wilson as one such author, and she argues that “recurrent motifs of the Gothic mode enliven Wilson’s [plays],” particularly The Piano Lesson, citing macabre terrors (Sutter’s fall down a well), eeriness (the exorcism of Sutter’s ghost with the help of ancestral spirits), and haunted objects (the piano itself) as examples (91).
If you choose this prompt, your job is to explain how The Piano Lesson demonstrates that the trauma of slavery continues to haunt, in ways both figurative and literal, African Americans living in the twentieth century. What is the “legacy” of slavery in this play? Although it is okay to watch the film version, you must also carefully read the play itself because you will be expected to provide close readings of specific passages of the text in your response.
Option 2
Compose an essay explaining how “A Rose for Emily” and The Night of the Hunter blur the lines between victims and villains. Pay close attention to the characters of Emily Grierson and Harry Powell. In addition, feel free to discuss whatever other characteristics of Southern gothic literature you observed while reading/watching.
Option 3
In an interview following the release of his 2017 film, Get Out, Jordan Peele explained that the story was inspired by two Ira Levin novels, both of which were made into films: Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Stepford Wives (1975)*, which have been described by critics as “social thrillers.” Upon its release, Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter argued persuasively that “Jordan Peele may have crafted the first horror movie to truly dismantle the MAGA era and how African Americans fit into it.” For your final discussion board assignment, explain how Get Out and The Stepford Wives use horror as a way of prompting viewers to think critically about the ways in which racism and sexism pervade the social fabric of American life. I expect you to reference specific scenes in your response. It might be useful to think about how each film toys with the notion of the uncanny. *Note: You must watch the 1975 version of The Stepford Wives. The 2004 version starring Nicole Kidman has a different ending that distorts the powerful social message of the original film (and novel).