Essay Test on May 30

Your task in this essay test is to come up with a thesis and support the thesis referencing James Joyce's short stories "Araby" and "The Dead" from the Dubliners collection. Use both stories to support your ideas

Suggested areas covered might be:

-What are the epiphanies in "Araby" and "The Dead"? What led up to these epiphanies? Why do you think they were important for Joyce to emphasize?

-What historical, social, and political factors are evident in the two stories? (Be sure to consult the notes in the back!) Is it important to understand these factors or is the value of the stories independent of them, i.e., is, as Gabriel says, literature above politics?

-reality vs. expectations in both stories,

-the women in Joyce's stories,

-the theme of deadness, stifling conservatism, inaction in the stories.

These are just suggestions. You may use these, or, better, come up with your own ideas.