ENG 102: Writing through Literature
Spring I, 2020
Instructor: Dr. Christine Marks
Essay 1 Topics (first draft due March 27; final draft due April 3)
For this in-class essay, choose ONE of the following questions and write a well-organized essay
of at least 1000 words. Before you begin writing, make sure to brainstorm, organize your
thoughts, and create a thesis statement. Remember to give your essay a title. Your essay should
have a clear beginning (introduction with thesis statement), middle (body), and end (conclusion).
You will be evaluated on the quality of organization, specificity of detail, intelligence of
observations, and clarity of language (grammar and punctuation). Make sure to include evidence
(quotes, paraphrases, summaries) from the text(s), applying the MLA rules for parenthetical
documentation. Your essay should present critical insight into the reading, not just a summary.
Remember to leave a margin, double space and proofread.
1. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is generally considered to be a
feminist text. Discuss Gilman’s portrayal of women’s roles in nineteenth-century society.
Do you think the narrator of the story is a feminist heroine or a woman descending into
madness? (Or both?)
2. As we discussed in class, Carmen Machado’s “Real Women Have Bodies” may be read
as a critique of the ways in which women are erased in contemporary American society.
Write a critical analysis of gender roles in the short story, considering (but not limiting
yourself to) some of the following aspects:
• How do women relate to their own bodies? In how far is this relationship determined
by society?
• What impact does the male gaze (as represented by Chris and Casey) have on
women’s identities?
• The relationship between the narrator and Petra is full of intimacy and physical
closeness. How does this emphasis on physicality relate to the fading women? (also