Discussions of identity occur frequently throughout the novel. Choose at least three characters and discuss how each one approaches the concept of identity. Questions to consider while writing are:

- Is the character conscious of his or her identity or not?

- Does that character feel comfortable with her or her identity?

- Does the character consciously try to change who he or she is or how he or she is perceived by society?

- Also, what social commentary does the author hope to make through these explorations of identity in the novel Howards End?

Essay Topic 2

Discussions of gender occur throughout the novel Howards End. Write an essay describing how Forster incorporates discussions of gender into the novel, especially describing what literary techniques he uses (dialogue, exposition, figurative language, characterization, context, etc.) and what the key issues about gender are that occur in the novel. You may also want to address why these issues were important at the time the novel was written.

Essay Topic 3

In Howards End, there is a division between the urban characters and those from the suburbs or the country. Write an essay discussing the differences between these characters and how Forster's treatment of these characters may reflect his own views of city versus country life. Consider these questions:

- Are some characters considered more up to date and modern than others?

- Does the character's specific location in reference to the land endow him or her with a different kind of knowledge in Forster's view?

- If so, what are these different kinds of knowledge?

- How does being situated in an urban or rural landscape change how the character moves about in society?

- Do some of the characters move easily from one locale to the next?

- Do other characters have trouble negotiating the change from urban to rural and vise versa?

You should pick at least three characters to compare and contrast.

(see the answer keys)

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