Part One: Several of our works this week portray significant or complex relationships between characters. Choose one that stood out to you as particularly moving or engaging. Describe the relationship and explain its personal resonance with you.  

Part Two: Research one of this week’s authors and tell us what about his or her biography struck you as being reflective of issues in the work. Be sure to cite all biographical information you report.  

Part Three: Post-modern work is sometimes ambiguous. In O’Brien’s story we meet a soldier who goes AWOL- he leaves his post and a squad of men is sent to find him. How do you think this story ends based on what you see in this short excerpt? What clues can you tease out of the chapter to give an indication of where this story might be headed? O’Brien’s work focuses on Cacciato before he becomes AWOL.  Therefore, you are tasked with ‘guessing’ about what happens next after reading this short section.  If you prefer, you can focus on why Cacciato says this at the end of the story: “You will.  You got a terrific sense of humor”

Topics covered in this lesson include: 

• Postmodernism
• Flannery O’Connor
• Tim O’Brien
• Psychoanalytical Criticism
• Joyce Carol Oates
• Writing about Real Crimes
• Theodore Roethke
• Weekly Forum Post Requirements:

1. Make your initial post that exceeds the minimum word count of 200 words by Thursday at Midnight.

2. Refer directly to the literature and include at least one direct quote from the assigned readings in order to support and illustrate your points; there is a 10 point penalty for the omission.

3. Include citations (with page numbers) with your post and a works cited listing for each of the works discussed (using MLA formatting); again, there is a 10 pt penalty for the omission.