Essay Assignment

Topics for Antigone

1. You are with a friend talking about plays you have read, and he/she complains,"I hate Greek tragedies. They are so depressing." Write your side of the conversation in whichyou can either agree or disagree with your friend's opinion. Use Antigone as your specificexample, with at least two quotes from the play to support your position.

2. Agree or disagree with the following statement: "The roots of contemporary horrorfilms can be found in ancient Greek tragedy." Use Antigone as your specific example, with atleast two quotes from the play to support your position.

3. It is the day after the events in Antigone, and the senators of Thebes mount a palacecoup, depose Creon, and arrest him on grounds of abuse of power, provoking the gods, anddestabilizing the security of the state. You have been assigned to lead his defense team. Whatwill be your argument to prevent his banishment? What evidence will you cite to prove yourcase?

4. Consider the same scenario as number 3 above, only you have been assigned to leadthe prosecution team. What will be your argument in support of those charges? What evidencewill you cite to support your case?
Topics for "Sonny's Blues"

"Sonny's Blues" Choose one of the following topics: 1. How does the narrator change from the beginning of the story to the final scene? At what points in the story do you see these changes occurring? What memories, insights, andconversations does he have that facilitate his change? (Look closely at paragraphs 177-178,215-216, and 238.)

2. Discuss the theme of addiction in "Sonny's Blues." You might consider the followingapproach: According to the narrator, what causes underlie drug addiction? How does he dividethe responsibility for drug addiction? How do larger, social/economic factors play a role? How dopersonal/family factors play a role? In this story, what resources help Sonny control his addictionand remain in recovery? (Look closely at paragraphs 75-80, 190-200, and 215-225.) If the storywere set today instead of 1955, would Sonny have any better chance of staying in recovery? Whyor why not?

3. Discuss the theme of music in the story. What importance does music serve in thelives of Baldwin's characters? (Look closely at paragraphs 180-181 and 235-240.)

4. Discuss the theme of racism in the story. (Look especially at paragraphs 81-110).