Reid's+Essays

//Essay Exam: The Godfather. Please write one full single-spaced page per question. You will be able to use the novel during exam time.

1. Infidelity played a minor role in The Godfather's storyline, but the impact was great in both the instances of Connie and Sonny. Whose marriage was affected the most by infidelity? Whose infidelity caused more hardship in the storyline? How did both instances become intertwined in the text?

2. Puzo often refers to "family" in The Godfather, through a plethora of characters. Explain why "family" can be seen as ambiguous and include examples of each meaning.

3. Early on in the story, Michael Corleone was classified as a civilian. What would you consider him at the end of the book? What events signified his transition? What changes in his behavior can you point out to elaborate your point?

Semester Research Project -> 4 Page Rough Draft due October 17th, 2008, Final Polished Draft Due December 22nd. 1. Puzo's work was fictional, but the 5 Families in The Godfather parallel the 5 Families of New York in real life. Write a 7-page essay about the similarities/differences between them, with preferably two pages focusing on one real life individual's similarities to a character in The Godfather. Incorporate at least 1 print source and 2 scholarly online articles and format in MLA.//

Response By Chad Heileman

1. I would choose essay prompt #2 for this assingment as it lends itself to the most personal interpretation of the novel and allows for greater freedom for the writer. All three prompts, however, ask the writer to draw upon central themes that run through the novel, making them all great choices. 2. I am fascinated with the way in which we, as Americans, consider the dynamics of family and who makes up its members. This could be contrasted drastically to the way in which mobs, like those in the Godfather, think about family. We also, as Americans, tend to hold family in the highest regard, similar to mob mentality; however, we tend to forgive family members for practically all their faults, where mobs tend to just cut them out of the family or kill them. All this, on top of numerous other comparisons, would make this an exciting, personal reflection on the novel and my own life. 3. I would start by finding all the examples or inferences Puzo makes to family; when the word 'family' is used, when references are made to the idea or concept and what the implications are. I would then start to incorporate all the definitions we have for family and the dynamics for each, looking specifically at how those dynamics are similar to or different than those in the Godfather and the result of the ambigity that each dynamic may have.