Character Analysis of Rip Van Winkle's Daughter, Judith
Creative writing in response to literature is a way for students to respond to literature in a personal way. Creative writing provides a way for students to practice critical thinking and develop a stronger understanding of literary criticism while showing creativity and a bit of their own personalities. For this creative writing assignment, you will do a character analysis to allow you to get inside the mind of one of the characters
"Rip Van Winkle" and "Young Goodman Brown" are told as third-person narratives, not as first-person narratives. The difference is that a third-person narrative presents the characters to us in the words of a narrator rather than from the words of the characters themselves. The story contains descriptions such as "Rip Van Winkle did this" or "Young Goodman Brown said that" but it's not as if the characters themselves are telling everything from their perspective. Of course, sometimes they speak in the story, but they do not get to tell the story or what they thinking or feeling. It is up to the reader to determine what the characters might be thinking or feeling
For this assignment, choose one of the following options:
(A) Imagine you are Rip Van Winkle's daughter, Judith, writing a journal entry after her father reappears after 20 years. Try to get into the mind of Judith. Be imaginative and creative. Pretend you are Judith and have just seen your father after he has been missing for 20 years. You will not be retelling the plot of the story; you will be Judith reflecting on the events of the day. In this journal entry you can put down whatever thoughts she might have using absolute frankness and honesty.
OR
(B) Imagine you are Young Goodman Brown writing a journal entry the day after the events described in the story. Try to get into the mind of Goodman Brown. Be imaginative and creative. Pretend you are Goodman Brown and have just experienced the events described in the story. You will not be retelling the plot of the story; you will be Goodman Brown interpreting and reflecting on the events of the day. In this journal entry you can put down whatever thoughts Goodman Brown might have using absolute frankness and honesty.
Criteria:
Write a minimum 400 words in paragraph form, using Times New Roman 12-point font (or similar) with double spacing. A title page is not required.
Submit as a Microsoft Word attachment on the submission page (click title above). Assignments not submitted in this way may be returned to you ungraded.
Rip Van Winkle
Author’s Name
Institution of Affiliation
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Rip Van Winkle
I was returning home after a successful walk into the nearby market for shopping. When approaching our main gate approximately one hundred meters away, I saw a crowd gathering that seemed to be in a naïve argument and worried. I hurriedly ran quickly to know what was going on. I saw a man referring to himself as Rip Van Winkle. The aging man asserted the names of his family members even though he could not identify the place. On the other hand, he also described the place and how it eventually changed.
The confused crowd assumed he was a madman, and thus they encouraged him to leave the spot as he might have lost his way to his real home. However, my father repeatedly reiterated the actual names of my biological mother and called me by my name and my brother's names. Moreover, the man was narrating how he ended up leaving his home and has survived for the last twenty years. To make things interesting, I knew he was correct as he gave his friends and neighbors the names. As a result, I knew he was my father according to the description he was giving.
Without any fear, I approached the crowd and faced him face-to-face. Afterward, I advanced to him and told him my name. As they say, blood is thicker than water, he recognized me, and I also acknowledged him for a close look. Rip found things have massively changed (Britannica, 2023). For instance, I informed him about the demise of my mother. However, I was ha...