The historical element of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s “Rock Garden” is undeniable: the appalling internment during World War II of Japanese-Americans

please pick one that will work for you to do this and I will send the story for it also at the end of these here are the concepts

• The historical element of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s “Rock Garden” is undeniable: the appalling internment during World War II of Japanese-Americans. Houston’s story subtly comments on hegemonic powers practiced against both Japanese-Americans and Native-Americans—demonstrative of binary opposition—but as well illustrates the power of culture to disrupt oppression and “othering.” How might the characterization of Morita-san, what he shares with Reiko, and his ultimate actions at the end of the story be read as identity politics? And yet why is Morita-san considered an outsider, even among his own people? Explain fully and in detail your ideas

• Houston’s “Rock Garden” abounds with archetypal and ideologically-laden symbols of culture, both Japanese and Native-American. Point out these details for either Reiko, and then consider how fully the character embraces these cultural artifacts (or not). How does Reiko negotiate these ideological, historical and culture elements of her life, and those to which she’s introduced by Morita-san? How do other factors challenge this process? Are we to be convinced of her character’s growth? Why or why not? As you consider the development of either character’s ideology, draw upon particulars in the narrative to defend your position.

• In Donal Ryan’s “Long Puck,” an Irish Catholic priest finds himself in a third-world culture that goes from peaceful to violent in a matter of days. Examine how colonial/postcolonial concepts prove volatile in this story. How, for instance, does the binary of ‘othering’ and ‘Eurocentrism’ become destabilized by postcolonial backlash? How are concepts such as ‘hybridity’ and ‘third space’ developed and undermined? How does cultural fundamentalism lead to disruption of society?

• The role of observation and surveillance is highlighted in Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill.” Our protagonist sets out on her weekly Sunday-afternoon jaunt full of happiness and delight, adorned with her prized fur stole, but by story’s end, Miss Brill’s disposition has altered significantly. Explore Miss Brill’s role as both observer and observed, analyzing how her power and agency prove to be both dominant and undermined during her afternoon of people-watching. How do her conditions dictate her power and agency? Why is the “cry” Miss Brill seems to hear at the end of the story symbolic of her compromised position?

• In “This Blessed House,” Jhumpa Lahiri depicts an Indo-American couple, recently married, who move into a new house, only to find items of the prior family popping up here and there throughout the place. These unexpected items tend to affect the wife and husband differently. How does the house and its discarded items serve as a discomfort to one and a pleasant surprise to the other, and why does each respond in the manner she or he does?

• Select one of these short stories (and not more than one) on which to write and focus your analysis through an examination and illustration of a single character in relationship to her or his environment. How is the character’s power and agency affected by those around her or him, or by the ideological conditions in which she or he lives? How is the character deluded by her or his circumstances, taking for granted the ideas and values of others? Why do the space and time in which she or he operates prove to dictate or restrict the character’s individuality, if at all?