The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman: What Comments Does Hellman Make About the New Southern Industrialization in the Play?

Assignment: In approximately 4 to 5 double-spaced pages, write an essay that analyzes some theme, issue, or technique involving Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. 
Guidelines and Requirements
1) This assignment is requiring you to write a short essay putting forth an argument, but not in the same sense as persuading an audience that gun control laws need to be stricter or the death penalty should be abolished. Rather, you are “arguing” that your interpretation of a literary work’s theme is correct or that your claim about the importance or function of a literary element is accurate and merits attention. 
2) The evidence you use to support your claim is the literary work itself. So, an important requirement for the essay is that you refer to direct evidence from the text, which you then discuss in terms of how it supports your thesis. “Direct evidence” means direct quotes and paraphrases, correctly cited. It is important that you demonstrate how your evidence supports your claim, rather than merely offering it with little or no comment of how it is relevant to your thesis. You cannot complete this interpretation correctly without quoting from the play. 
3) Since you will be blending in quotes (“direct evidence”) into your text, it is important that you do so effectively and smoothly. Quotes which are literally dropped into your essay with nothing to introduce them (known as “freestanding quotes) are not acceptable. Consult a handbook on how to format quotes or see the example provided in Power Point on the class Blackboard site. There are a number of online versions should you not own a hard copy:
http://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu 
http://www(dot)wisc(dot)edu/writing/Handbook/index.html
http://www(dot)hamilton(dot)edu/academics/resource/wc
4) You are required to use MLA citation form, which includes in-text citations correctly punctuated. Use the page numbers from the .pdf in your in-text citations. The handbooks listed above will describe how to proper cite material. 
5) As the scoring guide indicates, all facets of the writing process are subject to evaluation. 
Some Possible Topics (but you can choose one of your own also)
1) Hellman seems to be making a comment on social class in the play, or social class in the South. Argue a thesis which reveals your perspective on Hellman’s class comment.
2) Explore gender in the play, which shouldn’t be construed as women alone. Certainly we see four important female characters in the work (Regina, Alexandra, Birdie, and Addie). Argue a thesis which interprets the play through a gender perspective.
3) Look at the play through the lens of the family drama. What comment does Hellman seem to be making about family life? What keeps the Hubbards/Giddens from enjoying healthy family relationships? 
4) What comments does Hellman seem to making about New Southern industrialization in the play? 
5) Discuss the importance of stage craft in the play, such as music, stage directions, and props. How do they enhance, reinforce, detract, or otherwise affect the words and actions Hellman creates . for the characters. 
A Note on Formatting Quotes from Plays
There are two types of quotes you may cite in the essay. Below, please be aware of some conventions:
1) If quoting just one line of dialogue from a character or a simple exchange between two characters, introduce and/or blend in the quote as you would any other. And cite with the page number.
2) If there is a reason to quote an exchange of more than a couple of lines of dialogue between two or more characters, then introduce the quote with a colon or signal phrase, indent 10 spaces from the left margin, capitalize the name of the character followed by a period, and then include the exchange. In an essay of so few pages as this one, be absolutely certain an exchange of dialogue of any extended length is crucial to supporting your claim. Likely, it isn’t.