Margot refers to the poem her mother had loved by Robert Frost entitled "The Road Not Taken." Margot realizes that there is no "other road." Her only life is the one that she is living now. Discuss the following:

1. Thoroughly analyze and give a reader response to Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken." Consider such things as imagery, metaphor, syntax, rhythm, and of course, meaning.

2. Take your analysis of "The Road Not Taken" and trace and analyze how it is relevant to The Sixteen Pleasures. What characters are most concerned with the road not taken? What character(s) have irretrievably lost something important by taking a different fork? What character(s) cannot recover from a poor choice made at various forks?

3. Discuss one or two of your own "roads not taken." Do you still regret taking one road versus another in a particular situation? Do you think it would be good to let go? Can you go back and travel the other road? What "difference" has the choice made for you?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 5, when Margot joins some nuns in the library, she, at first, thinks that they need a man with some strength to help take apart the bookshelves that have swelled. The nuns show her how to readjust her thinking to make the task manageable without a man. Discuss the following:

1. There is a proverb of unknown origin that reads, "necessity is the mother of invention." Relate this proverb to the situation in the library and in your own life.

2. It is generally accepted that most men have greater brute strength than most women (but not all by any means). How do you think this fact has impacted gender roles throughout the ages? Discuss thoroughly.

3. Margot, who loves men and finds them very attractive and likes their company, naturally thinks first of getting help from a male when a task needing strength arises. The nuns, on the other hand, who are restricted in their interaction with men, do not even thing in terms of having one come in to do the work that requires strength or courage. Men, on the other hand, tend to think of asking a woman for help when it comes to cooking or sewing or something that requires sensitivity. These statements are generalizations and there are many exceptions, but think of them in terms of general truths. Discuss the following question: How do these type of generalizations (men to women and women to men) tend to perpetuate gender polarization in various cultures. Is it healthy to perpetuate such ideas? Why or why not? Discuss in relation to The Sixteen Pleasures and in relation to your own culture and experiences.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. Compare/contrast the Bishop with Madre Badessa. How are they alike? How are they different? Are each sympathetic characters? Who would you most likely have as a friend? Why? Is each one believable? Why or why not? Who seems more sincere? Who seems to take his/her religion more seriously?

2. Compare/contrast the culture of Italy of 1966 with that of the United States. How are they alike? How are they different? Which culture do you most relate to? Which culture is more influenced by the Catholic church? How does the culture of Italy contribute to the story as a whole? How would the story change if set in the culture of the United States at that time?

3. Compare/contrast the attitude towards art in Italy with your own experience and attitude towards art? Who takes art more seriously? Is art more important in the culture of Italy than in your own culture? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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