Cynthia Ozick: The Seam of the Snail

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This activity contains 3 questions.

Consider Ozick’s diction here, the words and images she uses in describing her mother and herself. How does she use specific language to develop the sense of contrast between the two?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

In this essay Ozick describes two different kinds of excellence—one of “ripe generosity” and one of narrow perfectionism. Can you find examples of these two kinds of excellence in your own experience? Write an essay in which you explore the contrasts between these two kinds of excellence in broader detail.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Write an essay describing a larger than life character in your own life. You may, if you wish, also contrast this person with yourself or with someone else your subject is close to.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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