In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story titled “Sweat,” would you agree with the statement that “Bertha and the Rattlesnake are symbolically one and the same? Explain.

Modern American Literature from 1865 to Present

Assignment Number Four:

Select and answer only one of the following questions/prompts:

1. Compare and contrast the characters of Delia Jones and Sykes Jones in Zora Neale Hurston’s short story titled “Sweat.” Would you agree with the following statement: “Zora Neale Hurston could just as aptly have titled her story ‘Sweat’ as ‘The Husband from Hell’”? Discuss and explain.

2. In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story titled “Sweat,” would you agree with the statement that “Bertha and the Rattlesnake are symbolically one and the same? Explain.

3. Discuss the role and the concept of “Scapegoat” vis-à-vis the “Negro” / African-American characters in the two short stories by William Faulkner discussed in class, namely, “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning.” To what extent is ‘Blackness’ or being African-American the moral and legal equivalent of a social outcast? Explain.

4. Compare and contrast the characters of the protagonists of William Faulkner’s two short stories titled “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning.” Which of these two protagonists do you admire more? Discuss.

Hints:

​Your essay must be documented with at least two secondary / external sources. Your essay must also use the MLA Style of parenthetical documentation keyed to a Work(s) Cited page at the end of your essay on a separate page of at least three sources or entries, including your primary source(s) from your textbook.

Length of Essay: 600-800 Words, Typed and Double-Spaced.

Your essay must include the following details:
Student’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Course Title and Section
Assignment Due Date

All the foregoing details must appear on the top-right-left corner of the first page of your essay.

Your last name and page number must appear at the top-right-hand corner of the first page of your paper and any other pages that follow.

Your essay must be at least five paragraphs:

Introduction
Body Paragraphs (At least three)
Conclusion

Last Completed Projects