Winterset Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. What purpose does poetic language serve in the play? At what points is prose interspersed with verse? How is prose used in the play? Why did Anderson choose to switch between the use of verse and prose?

2. Discuss how Anderson's style of writing imitates that of Shakespeare. How does Anderson's use of language, sentence structure, dramatic conventions, and character development mimic that of Shakespeare? What philosophies do Anderson and Shakespeare seem to share?

3. Discuss how the setting of the play is designed to affect the mood of the...
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