Hopefully you're checking the blog daily, as requested (well, demanded). These are the prompts, from which you will choose one, tomorrow. You can prepare as fully as you wish, but no notes or the book will be allowed tomorrow during the timed essay.
In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O'Connor has written, "I am interested in making a good cause for distortion because I am coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see." Write an essay in which you "make a good case for distortion," as distinct from literary realism. Base your essay on Candide. Analyze how important elements of the work are "distorted" and explain how these distortions contribute to the effectiveness of the work. Avoid plot summary.
The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings: "The writers, I do believe who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events - a marriage or a last minute rescue from death - but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with self, even at death." In a well-written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation" evident in Candide and explain its significance in the work as a whole.
