Midyear Exam Essay Prompt (Updated)

O.K. After talking to a few of you I have decided to amend the writing prompt:

"I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature."
William Golding

"Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick."
from Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Each of the works we have studied during the first semester explores the relationship between heroism and monstrousness. Choose three works we have studied. Compare and contrast how the authors of the three works use heroes (and/or heroism) and monsters (and/or monstrousness or what Simon sees as "sick[ness]") to reveal something about being human.

Be careful. Make sure you go beyond merely identifying and describing heroes and monsters. Make sure you compare how the authors use monsters (and monstrousness) and heroes (heroism) to suggest something about human nature.

To analyze how the authors use monsters and heroes think about how the monsters/heroes are characterized, how they develop, what they do, what is done to them, what they think, what they struggle with inside and out; also, think about what the images, symbols, motifs reveal about monsters, monstrousness, heroes, and heroism.

Avoid merely showing what is monstrous and what is heroic. Avoid plot summary. Have something bold and insightful to say about the similar and different ways the authors make use of heroes and monsters to reveal their insights.

Then, in an epilogue use first person to carefully explain and fully develop an insight into human nature you have developed while studying heroes and monsters this semester.