Love Hurts
Choose ONE of the following prompts, and write a thesis driven 5 page essay. The thesis (claim) should be clearly stated by the end of the introductory paragraph and should specifically address the text you are discussing. The only secondary sources you need to use for this paper are specified in the prompts.
1. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” contrasts two types of love: the love for another human being and the love for scientific exploration.
How do the two types of love differ in Hawthorne’s short story, how does the human subject relate to each?
Why is uniting the two loves bound to lead to destruction? Use The Song of Songs and Dumitru Staniloae’s chapter from Orthodox Spirituality for definitions of genuine love for another.
2. Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” shows a mother who is trying to situate herself between a dazzling and successful daughter, who left the community, and an unassuming and slightly damaged daughter, who never left home. What does the mother learn about the love of self, children, and cultural traditions when her successful daughter, Dee/Wangero, visits in order to recuperate part of her cultural inheritance? Use Dumitru Staniloae’s chapter from Orthodox Spirituality for a definition of a healthy love relationship. Please refer to the interview with the author, “An Evening with Alice Walker,” in order to think more deeply about the characters.
