Are criticisms embedded in stories more effective than those conveyed more directly, such as through online campaigns, opinion essays in newspapers, or political speeches?

For Essay 1, your main task is to formulate and argue for an interpretation of the messages in two of the short stories you have read for our unit about short fiction. You can choose any two short stories that you think are connected, but be sure you explain how they are connected and make that part of your analysis. Choose one of the options below:
How do the writers convey criticisms of social mores and social conditions surrounding women protagonists in the stories of Adichie, Chopin, Devi, Hemingway, or Sembene (pick any two)? Do you find these criticisms effective? Are criticisms embedded in stories more effective than those conveyed more directly, such as through online campaigns, opinion essays in newspapers, or political speeches? Explain how you find criticisms in stories more or less effective than other forms of social criticism. How do the writers convey criticisms of social mores and social conditions surrounding child protagonists in the stories of Al Shayk, Heker, Hughes, Joyce, Kashkuli, Salih, or Tan (pick any two)? Do you find these criticisms effective? Are criticisms embedded in stories more effective than those conveyed more directly, such as through online campaigns, opinion essays in newspapers, or political speeches? Explain how you find criticisms in stories more or less effective than other forms of social criticism. What are the conflicts faced by two protagonists? Are the protagonists struggling against other characters, themselves, larger social forces? Are these conflicts every day experiences or are they exceptional? What can readers learn from the experiences of the protagonists? How do writers use figurative language, foreshadowing, and symbolic objects to help readers gain a deeper understanding of their stories? What is revealed through such examples as Adichie’s garden and serpent in “Tomorrow …”, Carver’s use of light and alcohol in “What We Talk About …”, Lim’s paper house in “Paper”, Sembene’s use of Noumbe’s heart medicine in “Her Three Days”, or Tan’s piano and the musical pieces in “Two Kinds”? Focus on any two stories, and feel free to use other examples. To support your claims, you must refer to ideas and examples from two of the texts we have read in the past few weeks. In addition, draw on your own experiences, and feel free to consider any other material collected through background research about the stories. Feel free to use additional sources, but do not forget to document them correctly. Remember to cite your sources and include them in a bibliography at the end of your essay. To submit a draft essay for comments, prepare an accessible file (.doc, .docx, .rtf, Open Office) and name the file after yourself and the assignment, something along the lines of ‘LastName-DE1’. Draft essays are essentially ungraded, so feel free to submit an incomplete draft. Check out the Rubric for some pointers about what I will expect from Final Essay 1. To get comments on your Draft Essay 1, you must submit it on time. If you miss the deadline to submit the draft, continue to work on the essay and submit it when Final Essay 1 is due, 23:55 June 30. Final Essay 1 will have a grace period. When providing feedback, I use the following codes:
v = verb problem (tense or agreement) w = word/vocabulary problem (wrong word=ww; wrong word form=wf; inconsistent pronoun) ss = sentence structure (run-on or fragment)
sc = sentence connection (review connecting words and make sure the ideas are connected correctly)
sp = spelling
p = punctuation, sometimes quotation issues
q = problem with quotation (wrong format, incomplete integration, dropped quotation)
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THESE ARE THE THESIS’ I WROTE:
BASED OFF OF SALVATION BY LANGSTON HUGHES AND ALSO DO James Joyce’s “Araby”
1. “Salvation” is Langston Hughes’ personal experience, while the narrator in “Araby” also recounts a memorable encounter. These two narratives illustrate conflicts both personas experience in their encounters. Hughes’ conflict occurs when he has to lie after ‘seeing’ Jesus. Similarly, the other narrator’s conflict happens when he develops romantic feelings for Mangan’s sister, but he lacks the courage to express himself. Hughes’ conflict was a one-time encounter, while in “Araby,” the narrator had a daily experience. The authors chose to write about the crises as a reflection of typical experiences among adolescent individuals.
2. Food is a central symbolic feature in “Araby.” Food is a necessity and a routine for families or individuals to share meals. It represents togetherness and experiencing difficulties together. When people share meals, they bond and have an enjoyable time. Thus, this bond helps them endure conflicts and other difficulties. Similarly, the revival is a metaphor illustrating the fulfillment African Americans experienced from going to church. The fellowship increased their bond and resilience to resist the social injustices present during that era. Hence, both authors used symbols and metaphors to develop the conflict theme found in the two narratives.
3. Writers convey criticisms by using personas to communicate the intended message. For example, “Salvation” uses Hughes as the persona in the story to criticize the notion of seeing Jesus and the entire concept of religious faith. Similarly, the persona in “Araby” is the narrator recounting the first-hand experience. Personally, narrating the events or experiences is an impactful way of conveying the message. The narrators are relatable, and readers feel like the personas directly address them. For this reason, the writers make it easy for readers to resonate with the stories and quickly identify the purpose of the narrative.