English 346—Ethnic American Literature

Midterm Examination Preparation Gude

The midterm exam consists of an essay about 500 words long on a topic involving all of the works read so far–The Joy Luck Club, Brothers and Keepers, Maus. Whenever possible, compare and contrast the way they treat the same subject. Support general claims with reference to specific incidents and characters. This is a closed book exam.

On the exam you will be given three of the following topics from which you will choose one. The essay will be marked with a letter grade that counts 10% of the final grade. If you indicate that you are taking this class for GWR credit, the essay will also be marked "pass" or "no-pass." A passing essay contains a clear thesis and several unified, coherent paragraphs providing specific evidence supporting their topic sentences, and no more than two or three grammatical or punctuation errors.

1. The negative and positive effects of large historical forces like prejudice, war and migration on personal lives
2. Love-hate relationships between parents and children
3. Contrasts between the cultures of parents and their children
4. Ethnic identity vs. Assimilation
5. Standard English vs. ethnic dialects
6. The way each book displays ethnic stereotypes and moves beyond them
7. The use of the journey as both thematic and structural principle
8. Time and narrative—-experiments with the sequence of storytelling
9. The relation between the frame story and the stories it encloses