The Dreaded Essay

OK...It has been requested that I post the writing prompt on the blog, so I will do so. Afterwards, I will give some advice to help you write a solid paper. Should you have any questions about writing the paper, please put them on this post...that way I can answer them here for everyone. Therefore, before you ask your question, read through what has already been asked and answered so there are no repeat questions. So, here goes:

Essay Question

Science fiction often involves social criticism. Write a 3-4 page paper explaining what parts of the social world are being criticized by these novels and explain how the authors create the criticism within the framework of their stories.

I expect a solid introduction and conclusion. Your paper should reflect extensive knowledge of the novels and insightful analysis. Show me what you know.

The essay should be typed in 12 point font (Times New Roman or Courier New). It should be double-spaced and have one-inch margins all around. I will be looking at your grammar usage and spelling as part of your grade on this paper, so have someone read it over before you turn it in to me.

Remember, the paper should be 3-4 pages in length…not 4 pages, not 2.5 pages. Be concise and precise.

Again, the paper is due on the first day of class and will act as your pass into my class. You will also have an objective test over the novel on the first day of class.

The paper should also be formatted in the MLA Style. If you don't know what that looks like, consult the OWL at Purdue website (On-Line Writing Lab). Just Google it.

I don't want you to use sources for your paper. I want your own thoughts and insights. You may consult various sources to develop your own definition of literature, but since it is considered common knowledge, you won't have to cite those sources.

Most important: solid thesis statement and solid, specific support from the novel. You only have 3-4 pages, so I don't expect every iota of support you can find. Use the best of what you have. Make sure that your support comes from various parts of the novel, indicating that you have knowledge of the novel as a whole.

Again, all other questions should be posted below.

See you on Tuesday.

The Road 270-287

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When asked by the boy to tell about the bravest thing he'd ever done, the man replied, "Getting up this morning." What does he mean by this statement? What is so brave about him getting up?

What do you think is more difficult: being the boy and listening to see if your father is still breathing or being the man and knowing your son is doing that?

crozzled...new word to me...I like it.

He'd stop and lean on the cart and the boy would go on and then stop and look back and he would raise his weeping eyes and see him standing there in the road looking back at him from some unimaginable future, glowing in that waste like a tabernacle. There are still religious allusions sprinkled in here. If there is no hope -- as seems to be the case -- why cling to religion?

The man imagines this is the reversal of creation -- what it must have been like before, when the earth was first made. If so, isn't this hope, since the world would have evolved from this point before? Is it plausible that this could be a new starting point?

Look around you, he said. There is no prophet in the earth's long chronicle who's not honored here today. Whatever form you spoke of you were right. What does this passage mean to you?

What clues do we have that the man (and woman) are not cannibals -- are "good guys"? What doubts are there?

Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. Inn the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.

Love that final paragraph. There appears to be some hope buried there...what hope do you see in this last paragraph? What other things are hidden in this paragraph?

The Road 245-269

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"I will not send you into the darkness alone." We know what this suggests, but what does this tell us about the man as a person...as a father?

You tried to kill us.
I'm starving, man. You'd have done the same.
You took everything.
Come on, man. I'll die.
I'm going to leave you the way you left us.
Is the man being hypocritical here? Is he being fair to the thief?

You're not the one who has to worry about everything.
Yes I am, he said. I am the one.
Explain the meaning of this exchange. What does this tell us about the man? the boy?

The boy believes they killed the thief. What do you believe?

The man tells the woman that she was left here...she claims she chose to be here...what do you think?

How well do you think the boy understands their predicament? Give examples for support.

The Road 220-244

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"One vast salt sepulchre. Senseless. Senseless." Again, the description of the beach is quite different from what is expected of a beach. What images stand out to you and what about them stands out?

What is the translation of the boat's gilt lettering? What is the significance? Is it ironic?

What is a mae west? Is there any significance to this?

What is a sextant? What does the fact that he put it back in a cupboard suggest about the man?

The man thinks, "good luck might be no such thing." He envies the dead on most nights. If this is the case, what keeps him going? Why is he trying so hard to survive?


On p. 244 in my book, there is an exchange between the man and the boy:

Boy: I don't know what we're doing.
Man: There are people and we'll find them. You'll see.

Focusing on the entire exchange, what do we learn about these two characters at this point?

The Road 195-219

(Photo Credit: http://wired.com)

What is so significant about the fact that the group who is following them has a pregnant woman with them?

How traumatic to see the baby cooking over the fire...what do you make of the way the boy handled seeing that?

What is significant about the man finding a Spanish coin and arrowheads at this point in the book? What do these items represent?

Great line: "They wandered through the rooms like skeptical housebuyers."

The man involves the boy in most decisions, such as the decision to eat the home-canned food. Why is it important that the man involves him?

The man thinks, "They are watching for a thing that even death cannot undo and if they do not see it they will turn away from us and they will not come back." Explain your understanding of this quote.

Another great line (though gruesome): "The dull green antique coppers spilled from out the tills of their eyesockets onto the stained and rotted coffin floors."

tokus --> a clue to heritage?

When the boy comes in from his swim, he's crying. Why do you think he's crying?

The Road 168-194

(Photo Credit: http://theplaylist.blogspot.com)

The old man says, "I was always on the road." Does this mean he was a transcient before the devastation? Why would this matter?

"Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave." Explain this quote, then tell me what you think about it.

"There is no God and we are his prophets." What? What does this mean?

"Where men can't live gods fare no better." Explain this one...

The old man thinks the boy will "get over" believing in God. What do you think, and why?

"I am going to die," he said. "Tell me how I am to do that." What does the man mean? What are the possible answers?

The boy forgets to turn off the valve for their make-shift stove. What do we learn about the characters from the exchange that takes place concerning this oversight?

On p. 177 in my book, there is a description of the coastal plains. Compared with your experience of the coastal plains (assuming you've experienced them), what is the difference between your experience and the description we get? Why is this significant?

What is different when you compare the boy looking over the map to the man doing the same thing as a boy?

The man dreams of a library where the books were charred and he sees the shelves were tipped over. "Some rage at the lies arranged in their thousands row on row." What lies are in the books that cause rage?

Why do you think McCarthy included the memory with the burning snakes? What prompts the man to remember this scene from his childhood?

"When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up." Explain your understanding of this quote.

What has caused the new distance between the man and the boy?

The Road: 145-167

(Photo Credit: http://ehow.com)

The boy says a prayer...sort of...what is significant about the prayer? What does it tell you about the boy and the man?

Great image: "The only light was from the ring of blue teeth in the burner of the stove."

They only stay in the bunker a couple of days. If no one has found it so far, what makes them think it's dangerous to stay longer?

"If trouble comes when you least expect it then maybe the thing to do is always expect it." What do you think of this logic?

McCarthy does a masterful job of writing the dialogue -- he captures a young boy's curiosity and imagination quite vividly and accurately. The conversation about crows is priceless. How does it help characterize the two characters?

"What are our long term goals?" Why doesn't the man answer this question?

Why do you think the boy is so much more willing to help others? He knows the consequences they could face, yet he still wants to help -- why?

What's significant about the old man's name (allusion)?

The Road: 100-144

(Photo Credit: http://madehealthier.com)


What is port cochere?

“Can you do it? When the time comes?” This is repetition of an earlier phrase. Is he any more apt to do it now? Is there any difference between the earlier situation and this one?

How do they discern between good houses and bad houses?

The man explains why they didn’t help the people in the cellar. Is it a solid explanation? Do you think the boy will settle for it?

Is cannibalism acceptable given the setting? Is it understandable?

Considering the state of the country, why does he put flower seeds in his pocket? They’re not edible…

On p. 134, the boy doesn’t want the man to open the door they found in the grass. Why is he so against it?

Why is it important to the boy that the people who built the bunker were the good guys?

The man thought he was going to die. Now he finds himself in a food paradise. It says he has to think about that. What does he have to think about?

The Road 77-100

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The man makes the boy a flute, allows him to put toys in the cart, and tells him stories -- still trying to give the boy as normal a childhood as possible...

Why is the boy so concerned about the dog? Why is it important that they don't eat the dog?

Did the boy actually see another little boy or didn't he? How is the man so sure he didn't? Or is the man just trying to get the boy to think he imagined it? He changes his tune later, though, indicating that he does believe the boy. Why is he now conceding this?

On p. 87 in my book, there is a shift in narration: "The dog he remembers followed us for two days." It is the voice of the father...what does this narration change add to the story?

"He doesn't remember any little boys." How sad that the boy has never had a sibling, a friend, or a playmate...his whole life...Just sayin'...

"The names of things slowly following those things into oblivion. Colors. The names of birds. Things to eat. Finally the names of things one believed to be true." At what point does it end? What things or names of things would be the most devastating to lose?

Very gruesome scene of bones, etc. He and the boy are together, but the man stops and looks for longer. Why?

They see the bad guys march by, and the father states that it's not a good sign. Why do you think this is a bad sign?

The Road: 52-76

(Photo Credit: http://amazon.com)

On p. 52 in my version of the book, there is a quote that begins like this: "They stood on the far shore of the river..." Find this paragraph and explain what it means to you.

He fills the tub with water. She asks why he's taking a bath. He says he isn't...so what is it that he's doing here?

Why does the man play cards with the boy...or, rather, why is it so important that he does?

On p. 55 in my version of the book, there is a quote that begins like this: "No lists of things..." What are your thoughts on this paragraph?

She says there used to be three bullets, but now there are only two. What happened to that third bullet?

Why do "women dream of danger to those in their care and men of danger to themselves?

Why do you think her heart was ripped out of her the night her son was born? This goes against a mother's natural instincts...

Why do you think that the boy's reaction to her leaving was so emotionally cold?

Why won't the boy talk to him for a while in this section?

"Where you've nothing else construct ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them." What is important about this?

When the man mentions that the guy he killed was the first person he had talked to in a year (besides his son), why does he refer to the man as "my brother at last?"

The snow presents practical problems, but what do you think it might symbolize?

What is quoits? Gotta look that one up...

The Road: 27-52

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"The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the light and is gone. Look around you. Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all." What are your thoughts on this passage?

"Can you do it? When the time comes? Can you?" What is it the man is thinking of doing?

"Not all dying words are true and this blessing is no less veal for being shorn of its ground." What are your thoughts on this sentence?

Great query: "How does the never to be differ from what never was?" Got an answer? Take a shot.

I think you can figure out why the man gives the boy all of what's left of the hot chocolate while he drinks hot water, pretending it's hot chocolate...but how do you explain the boy's reaction to this?

Can you interpret the penguin dream? Take a shot.

What is significant about the fact that the man tells "old stories of courage and justice?"

The man is extremely honest with the boy about their situation, but his truthfulness appears to have limits. What limits do you see?

What do you think of the man's decision to leave the lightning-struck man alone with no help?

Cormac McCarthy meets Oprah

Here is a link to an interview with Cormac McCarthy. I couldn't get the video to download for me, but this will work just as well.

Cormac McCarthy meets Oprah

The Road: 3-27

(Photo Credit: http://radekaphotography.com)

So as you can tell, I am creating posts on this novel based on page numbers...it may not match your pagination, but it should be pretty close. And so, we begin...

Remember the dream that starts the novel. McCarthy wouldn't have begun the novel with the dream if it wasn't important.

"With the first gray light..." This paragraph is packed with info, both stated and implied. What important info can you get from this tightly written paragraph?

McCarthy chooses not to use quotation marks for his dialogue. Why do you think he made this stylistic choice? What effect does this have on the story?

Why do you think the man tried to call his father from the gas station?

What color(s) dominate the story? What is the symbolism of the color(s)? What tone do the colors in the book help to create? Without naming a color, McCarthy often mentions objects that we see as a particular color in our mind's eye. What are some of these objects?

Who is the narrator? What stands out about the narration?

On p. 10, the point of view changes to the boy, but just briefly...what stands out to you about this conversation between the boy and the man?

How would you characterize the man's religious beliefs?

The man describes his perfect day from his childhood. What stands out to you about this brief memory?

"It's snowing, the boy said. He looked at the sky. A single gray flake sifting down. He caught it in his hand and watched it expire there like the last host of christendom." Love this. What is so good about this excerpt?

First real mention of other people in the book's present tense: bloodcults, road-agents, and marauders. What does this suggest about the area where they are?

The man is very handy and a creative, practical thinker. What profession do you suppose he had in the past?

"...the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of languor and death." Do you agree with the man's assessment of dreams? Why do you think he believes this (or at least says that he believes it)?

Where are the only sections of the book with bright colors set? What is significant about the use of bright colors?

Where is Rock City? What does this reference do for us as readers?

What do you find significant about the Coca Cola scene?

So up to this point (p. 27), there hasn't been an encounter with another LIVING person or animal...what do you think has happened here? Do you think it is a regional, national, international, or universal event?