The general theme is solitude and belonging.

The general theme is solitude and belonging.

write one 3-page reflection on “Women and Honor” OR “Menial Labor and the Muse” OR “This Room & Everything in It.” Or you could write 1 page on each. Or choose two of the three. 1. Menial Labor and the Muse, short reflective essay by Maxine Kumin: Consider your habits as they relate to your ability to be productive and satisfied with your work as well as your personal life; life/work balance, how one inspires the other and are interconnected 2. This Room and Everything in It, poem by Li-Young Lee: Reflect on the objects you are surrounded by, and their *sentimental value*; what does each object represent for you in terms of your relationships with others (gifts, mementoes, souvenirs, nostalgia); how we comfort ourselves in our solitude via objects that contain stories 3. WE WILL DISCUSS THIS PIECE IN CLASS ON 11/27: PLEASE READ IT THIS WEEK: Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying, essay by Adrienne Rich: Your own writing would use her essay as inspiration to consider the role of lying in relationships, including any of the categories of lies that she mentions: between lovers/friends/ family, lying to ourselves, lies of omission, lies by politicians, lies about beauty/body, and how it feels when we learn that we have been lied to, especially by someone we trusted. Your writing could read like a personal story or more like a reflective essay on the topic in general, including quotes from the Rich essay, or not. It might take the form of a letter, written in the voice of anger or sadness or regret or forgiveness (or all the above).