• “There were once two little girls who saw, or believed they saw, a thing in a forest. …”
• “And now: it is easy to forget
what I came for
among so many who have always
lived here
swaying their crenellated fans
between the reefs
and besides
you breathe differently down here.
I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.”
• “Greece sees unmoved,
God’s daughter, born of love,
the beauty of cool feet
and slenderest knees,
could love indeed the maid,
only if she were laid,
white ash amid funereal cypresses.”
Section one : Quote Significance, Short Response
For this section, choose three (3) the quotes from the section above and describe in detail the
significance of each quote. The quotes you choose can be the same ones you chose to identify in Section
One. When explaining the importance of the quote, be sure to think about how the excerpt represents
the text as a whole, how it connects to the big ideas that we have discussed in class—and, of course,
how it relates to your own ideas. (Aim for approximately 150-200 words per response.)
Section Two : Essay Questions, Long Response
For this section, choose two (2) questions to answer exhaustively. You may incorporate ideas we have
discussed in class into your answers, as well as your own ideas and argumentation—or ideas you learned
in other classes that relate. Reference other texts we have read if you need to make a comparison!
However, please be careful NOT to summarize the stories; instead, use direct quotes from the text to
illustrate your ideas. If you summarize, you will not receive credit. (These answers should be longer than
the short response section, closer to 350-400 words per response.)
• What is the message of the poem “Leda and the Swan”? In other words, offer an analysis of the
poem “Leda and the Swan” by Yeats.
• Traditional fairy tales often rely on symbolic objects, actions, settings, or characters. How is "The
Thing in the Forest" like a fairy tale in this respect? How is it different? Are there figures of
speech in this story that you would argue are not symbolic? Explain in detail. What does the
fairy tale theme add or subtract from the story? Essentially, what is the purpose of the fairy tale
theme here?
