Alternate endings to classic literature

In the past week alone, I've gotten over a dozen hits on searches for "alternate ending" and a book title. The majority have been searches for Romeo and Juliet, but I've also seen The Grapes of Wrath, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, and Great Expectations.

I was a little confused the first time I saw one of these searches. Since then, DsD clued me in to the fact that apparently some English teachers will assign "write an alternate ending to [title]" as a paper topic. And judging from the fact that many of these hits seem to be from schools, I suspect she's right. Which would mean that many of the people searching are likely trying to cheat.

So I offer the following public service announcement to those who are searching for already-written alternate endings:
Write your own darn paper!
You're not doing yourself or anyone else any favors by stealing someone else's work!

Besides, who knows what creativity may result if people just take time to rub two of their own brain cells together...