Analyze  the use of  irony/satire/comedy in the work of one  or more of the writers. What does the writer want you to understand or "see" about the society he/she lives in? Focus on a way the author develops this "seeing", i.e. it is not enough to write that Woody Allen uses humor to satirize contemporary society. What aspects of what part of society does he examine? What does he seem to suggest about that aspect? How do you know? How else might your idea be viewed?

If you feel creative, here are some suggestions:

1. Try your hand at some fiction.  Take a section of  "A Story for Children" and move it from its general, non-specific folk-tale setting to a story with developed characters, a recognizable setting, a specific time, specific situations.  If you are successful, analyze what happens when the general "message" of the story are applied to specific circumstances that you have created.

2.  If you were dissatisfied with the use/effect of humor in one of the stories, rewrite a section of it in a way that you feel makes the story funnier, and more pertinent to contemporary issues. THEN ANALYZE YOUR CHANGES (in terms that reflect your ability to analyze humor)<,WHAT THEY REFLECT ABOUT YOU/YOUR SOCIETY. DO THEY WORK? WHY? WHY NOT?

3. Try your hand at some fiction.  Drop a character of your choice (you, maybe?) into one of the settings or stories we read this quarter, in the way that Kugelmass entered and exited the world of  Madame Bovary. Develop your story for a few pages (at least until character and narrative direction are established) and then analyze what your new "work" seems to be about, and how it achieves that.

All questions: when you analyze your own writing, focus on the impact of specific words/images/characterizations/plot points as support for your thesis.