Free contest, 15th Annual Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest , prize: 5 winners of $1000

Deadline: 14 April 2011

With an unbeatable lineup of over 300 of the greatest literary works the world has ever known, Signet Classics is the publisher that students, education professionals, and the public turn to more than any other. Now, we are proud to host the fifteenth annual Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest, in which five high school juniors or seniors can each win a $1,000 scholarship award to be used toward their higher education plus a Signet Classics library for their school! Students enter by writing an essay on one of five topics posed for this year's competition book, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

Essay Subject

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Topics

Select one of the following five topics:

1. In the introduction to the Signet Classic edition, Alev Lytle Croutier states: "The themes of imperialism and sensationalism in Collins's writings challenged the prejudices prevalent in Victorian England. At the heart of his social critiques was Collins's contempt for abuses of power, whether at home in Britain or abroad in the British Empire." Cite examples of such criticisms and comment on them.

2. How do different female characters in The Moonstone embody or defy what we might think of as traditional Victorian or nineteenth-century values and expectations for women's behavior?

3. The Moonstone could have been told in the third person by one omniscient narrator, yet Collins chooses to tell the story from the point of view of eight different narrators. Do you believe the novel benefits from this approach? Why or why not? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Cite examples to support your responses.

4. Many characters in the novel are neither straightforward heroes or anti-heroes, and often seem to do insensitive things in service of what they feel is right. Some characters are attractive overall but exhibit behaviors that are unsympathetic, while characters like the Hindoos fluctuate between appearing villainous and victimized. Choose two figures who reveal different sides to their personalities, and discuss the way these characteristics help and/or undermine their roles in the novel. (For purposes of this question, the Hindoos may be regarded as a single figure.)

5. Religion and superstition cause many of the characters in The Moonstone to behave in ways the other characters cannot understand. Miss Clack's religious fanaticism, the actions of the Indians, and the superstitions of Gabriel Betteredge all strike other characters as odd. How do these personalities help you understand what is going on in the immediate environment that the characters inhabit? In what ways do they also comment on larger social issues of the period?

Prizes

Five (5) winners each will be awarded a check in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) to be used toward tuition and/or expenses related to their higher education. Each winner will also receive a Signet Classics Library for their school library, or public library in the case of a home-schooled winner (Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") $1,600.00). Total ARV per prize: $2,600.00.

In the event that there is an insufficient number of qualified entries or if the judges determine in their absolute discretion that no or too few entries meet the quality standards established to award the prizes, Sponsor reserves the right not to award the prizes.

Eligibility

1. Open to 11th and 12th grade full-time matriculated students who are attending high schools located in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, or home-schooled students between the ages of 16-18 who are residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. Void where prohibited by law. All state and local restrictions apply.

2. Employees of Sponsor and its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates or other parties in any way involved in the development, production or distribution of this Contest, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to participate in this Contest.

More information here.