Good Country People

Select one story that we have read in class and conduct research that relates to the story’s theme. This research
can be biographical research on the author, historical, cultural, or political research on the story’s setting, and/or
literary research. You choose. Use your research to highlight the story’s theme and develop interesting and
intriguing connections you have found. Paper length: 4 – 5 pages. Here are some suggestions for research topics:

1. “Good Country People” or “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. You have a number of
options: 1) Write an essay explaining how O’Connor conveys the theme that all men are fallen and in
need of redemption. 2) In “Good Country People” explain how the story is a parody on nihilism. 3)
Explain how O’Connor develops a theme of religious hypocrisy in “Good Man” or “Good Country
People” (pick one and develop it fully). 4) Explain how O’Connor develops the story’s theme (pick a
theme) through specific literary elements (i.e. symbolism, characterization, etc.)

2. “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. 1) Write an essay explaining how Poe’s “The Masque of
the Red Death” is a moral tale with biblical implications. 2) Write an essay explaining how Poe uses
different colors of the rooms to symbolize the progression of life. 3) Write an essay explaining how Edgar
Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death’’ may be interpreted as a parable for man’s fear of
death. 4) Write an essay explaining how the narrator may be identified as a personification of Death.

3. “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston 1) Write an essay explaining how “Sweat” represents elements of the
Harlem Renaissance. 2) Write an essay explaining how Hurston uses specific literary elements (i.e.
symbolism, biblical allusion, foreshadowing,, etc) to develop the story’s theme.

Guidelines/Process

Conduct research. Locate a minimum of three sources for the short story you choose. One internet
source is permitted. The others must be scholarly articles within our library database, and you may also
visit county libraries to conduct research. Avoid sources that simply provide overviews. Note: Try to
locate articles that provide the actual page numbers of the text, e.g. a PDF.

Where is this research taking you? Develop a tentative thesis. And remember, you are not writing a
book report. You are writing an analysis of a theme and supporting it with research.

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