Write an interpretive essay of at least 500 words that begins with one of the following two introductory paragraphs. If you write about the stories in a different order than they are given, change the order of the stories in the thesis statement to match the order in which you will be addressing them. Check your essay carefully for accuracy of information (facts taken from the stories), grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Your completed essay should support the thesis statement given in the introduction you have selected. Your essay will be evaluated for how well it interprets the stories based on the thesis given; on its clarity, correctness, and effectiveness; and its use of proper MLA documentation.
Beginning very early in our lives, we are constrained by our gender. Boys are taught not to cry when they are hurt, to "keep a stiff upper lip." Girls are excluded from activities characterized as "unladylike." "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro and "The Things They Carried" by Tim O’Brien explore the struggles people have with the restrictions imposed on them by gender and the efforts they make to cope.
Our lives are defined by our relationships with others: family, lovers, friends, and acquaintances. While our relationships with others can bring great satisfaction, they can also lead to conflict. "My Oedipus Complex" by Frank O’Connor, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver, and "Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff examine the conflicts that can erupt between individuals in close relationships and the consequences those conflicts can have on people’s lives.
