Essay 2 Outline
Essay 2 Outline
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Introduction
Opening Statement:
Faith, hope, and resilience are critical when facing and overcoming hardships and obstacles.
Author, Title, and Summary:
Kenan, Randall. "God's Gonna Trouble the Water or, Where Is Marisol?" in If I Had Two Wings.
The story explores faith and resilience in the face of adversity. Through the disappearance of Marisol and her daughter after a devastating storm, the narrative examines loss, memory, and emotional endurance. Mrs. Streeter experiences uncertainty and grief while trying to cope with the absence of someone who played a significant role in her life.
Major Subtopics:
Water as a symbol of struggle and renewal
Marisol’s absence as a symbol of loss and memory
The storm as a symbol of adversity
Thesis Statement:
In this story, struggles and renewal, loss and memory, and adversity highlight the need for characters to maintain faith and resilience in the face of hardship.
Body Paragraph 1
Topic Sentence:
Water in the story symbolizes both challenges and the possibility of renewal.
Context:
The reference to troubled water reflects the struggles faced by Marisol and the community, while also suggesting hope for survival and recovery.
Evidence:
“No, child. Clay says we’ll be just fine. You remember in that last flood we stayed high and dry, and the water got pretty high that time around town in the lower spots. So we’re gonna take our chances” (Kenan 202–203).
Analysis:
This reflects how individuals rely on faith and past experiences to remain hopeful during difficult times, showing resilience even when facing uncertainty.
Body Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence:
Marisol’s absence represents loss and the emotional impact of memory.
Context:
Mrs. Streeter’s inability to find Marisol highlights the deep connection they shared and the emotional void created by her disappearance.
Evidence:
“But when she rounded the corner down the hall into the family room, she was met by no vacuum cleaner, no little girls, no mother… The sense of bewilderment in her breast was a thing akin to her dead garden out back” (Kenan 206).
Analysis:
The imagery emphasizes emotional emptiness and grief, showing how attachment leads to a strong sense of loss when loved ones are gone.
Body Paragraph 3
Topic Sentence:
The storm symbolizes adversity and the trials that test human resilience.
Context:
Although Mrs. Streeter does not directly experience the storm, its consequences affect her life and the lives of others in the community.
Evidence:
“In truth the Barbadian encounter with wind and rain felt like a mere thunderstorm… but the news regarding the North Carolina coast was not so benign. Category 5, they were predicting” (Kenan 202).
Analysis:
The storm represents unavoidable hardship, demonstrating that adversity impacts individuals differently but ultimately requires strength and resilience to overcome.
Conclusion
In life, challenges such as rising waters, destructive storms, and emotional loss are inevitable. However, the story emphasizes that faith and resilience are essential in navigating these hardships and continuing forward despite uncertainty.
Works Cited
Kenan, Randall. "God's Gonna Trouble the Water or, Where Is Marisol?" If I Had Two Wings, W.W. Norton & Company, 2020, pp. 201–211.