Assignment One
Using "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," discuss the following:
1. Explain how O'Connor uses elements of fiction to address the theme of characters struggling with spiritual questions in bizarre, incongruous situations.
2. Focus your explanation on O'Connor's belief that the modern writer must make her "vision apparent by shock: to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large, startling figures."
Assignment Two
Using "Cathedral," discuss the following:
a. Explain how Carver addresses the idea that emotional and moral blindness are the true handicaps to be feared.
b. Focus your explanation on the redemptive qualities of the protagonist's personal insight.