Discuss your response to the story using critical thinking and examples and quotes from the story.

These are short stories. You can pick any 1 topic from the list below:

Choose ONE of the following topics for this week’s response paper. Be sure to look at the general response paper requirements under Course resource documents.
1. In “A Wall of Fire Rising” does Guy jump, or is his fall an accident? Can he be considered a hero?
2. “Bliss,” and “Brief Lives in California,” were written before social media, and “Jason Who Will Be Famous” (2009) was written before it really took off. Would social media have changed any of these stories, if so, how? Or do you think they show that human nature has remained the same over time? You should discuss at least two of the stories, if not all three.
3. In “The Necklace” Mathilde Loisel is desperate to change her social class upward. Instead she winds up in an even lower class. Do you feel empathy for her? Does the author de Maupassant?
4. Discuss parenting In “Jason Who Will Be Famous” and “Brief Lives in California.” How do Jason’s parents and Leonora’s mother affect Jason and Leonora and what are the outcomes? Are the authors of these stories blaming the parents for Jason’s and Leonora’s expectations? Do you think that’s fair?
5. How does Jason’s kidnapping fantasy in “Jason Who Will Be Famous” relate to Leonora’s thoughts on the Patty Hearst kidnapping in “Brief Lives in California”?
6. Analyze the setting in “Jason Who Will Be Famous.” How does it contribute to the story?
7. Did any of this week’s stories surprise you or evoke an emotional response (shock, anger, sadness, empathy)? Discuss your response to the story using critical thinking and examples and quotes from the story.

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