Literature

The craft book, Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer, provides numerous ways to look at the writing process. Discuss the whole book or pick out a key concept the author sets out and formulate a response to that concept. You may agree with the author; you may not. Let us know how your own work has benefited or might benefit from the craft element. You should not set out to summarize the book, though referencing the text is recommended when commenting on specific ideas or passages.

In an informal essay, explore the subplot revolving around Beneatha’s romantic choice (George, Joseph, or none of the above) as a parallel plot.  What does this element add to A Raisin in the Sun as a whole?  How would the play be changed if this parallel plot were excluded? Beneatha’s men talk like this: “I know it and I don’t mind it sometimes…I want you to cut it out, see – The moody stuff, I mean, I don’t like it.  You’re a nice-looking girl…all over.  That’s all you need, honey, forget the atmosphere.  Guys aren’t going to go for the atmosphere…” (96) Include consideration of the following in your discussion: It is easy to imagine Hansberry hearing this speech in her real life from men who valued her as an object and “not a poet.”  How does this parallel plot add meaning and underscore the theme that resolution is ambiguous.  How do you suppose the subplot will work out?  Will Beneatha go to Africa? In the time of Clybourne Park, where have Beneatha, Travis, and the unborn Younger gone off to?  Why are they not taking over the house in Clybourne Park?

Respond to ONE of the following questions in 125 words. Please remember to use evidence from the book to support your ideas.  1.How does Thomas’ narrative reveal the limitations of “moving up” and social mobility for minoritized Latinx and Afro Latinx communities? Choose several pieces of evidence from the text itself to support your ideas.  2.Think about Thomas’ use of the genre of the coming of age story and his style of writing through vernacular language, the language of the streets. How does he turn these two elements of genre and style towards rewriting the scripts that US society has imposed on him? Choose several pieces of evidence from the text itself to support your ideas. 3.Even as “these mean streets” have been a site of his struggle and survival, Thomas reclaims them over the course of his text. Explore his reclaiming of “these mean streets” for social identity, agency and | or community empowerment. Choose several pieces of evidence from the text itself to support your ideas.  4.Take the point of view of one or two of the women in Thomas’ story. How would she or they rewrite | edit | adapt Thomas’ story? Choose several pieces of evidence from the text itself to support your ideas.

Consider this case study: John did not study for the test, and he cannot pass the class if he does not pass. If he does not pass the class, he does not graduate on time. If he does not graduate on time, he will lose the good job offer he received contingent upon his having his degree. He realizes that the teacher does not keep a close eye on the class during the test. So he sets up his smart phone so that all his class notes are accessible on the phone. He then takes the test using his smart phone for his answers. He is not caught and ends up earning one of the highest grades on the test. For this response paper, I want you to assess his actions from the standpoint of the Christian virtue tradition. Specifically, I want you to explain why, from that perspective, John did not do what was in his best interest. Note that, for this exercise, your answer should not appeal to breaking moral rules nor to anything related to getting into heaven. This is a question about morality, not soteriology. Think about the impact of one’s choices on who you are and what it means to live well from the virtue pespective.

A compare and contrast paper on the Iliad and the Odyssey.  Specifically the differences and similarities between the Achilles and the Odysseus.  4 pages. Textual Evidence. Submitted it once. I have to redo.

Having read issues 1-3 of Icon: A Hero’s Welcome, how true is it to say that Payback is the villain in the tale? In answering this question, you should provide TWO examples from the comic to illustrate your point. In doing so, please divide your examples into two distinct paragraphs so that your reader knows when one idea ends and another begins.

Assignment: Please discuss and compare Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of Cognitive Development . Don’t forget to use the text and any researched information you referenced to backup your writing. ADD A REFERENCE PAGE OF ANY INFORMATION THAT YOU USE IN YOU PAPER!

Decoding the Human Body & A Revolution in Medicine (Newsweek, April 10, 2000) Eugenics is the term applied to the notion that the human condition might be improved by modifying the human genome. How do you feel about modifying human genes to improve the human race? Is it appropriate to correct genes that cause illness? If so, would it also be allowable to modify genes to alter physical characteristics for purely cosmetic purposes?

Here’s a brief guide to how to get started on the major essay. As an example, I’ll use Option 2: Describe some of the central principles of Puritan ideology and illustrate their significance in specific literary works. For this prompt, I’d start off by considering some of the key beliefs of Puritanism. I’m just copying and pasting from the first eLecture here: Belief in the need to purify Christian beliefs and practice Belief in the literal truth of the Old Testament Belief in “Original Depravity” – we are born sinners Belief in “Limited Atonement” – no worldly ritual or prayer will ensure salvation; no human action or gesture of faith obliges the Almighty to respond Belief in “Predestination” – God had chosen those who would be saved before birth Belief in the “Covenant of Grace” – the agreement Christ made with all people who believed in him, sealed by the Crucifixion, promising eternal life Belief that no Pope or Bishop had the right to impose God’s law Belief in intense study of the bible, moral self-examination, and active membership in the congregation Belief in individual responsibility – a direct and personal relationship with God Belief that doers of evil suffer and are destroyed; true believers and doers of good may suffer as well, as worldly misfortune is both a test of faith and a signifier of God’s will You could pick just one or two of these and discuss multiple texts with each one, or you could choose one of these per body paragraph and discuss how it is expressed in 1-2 writers’ works.  Which of these beliefs do their texts show? I’ll use the example of Bradstreet since I like her work so much. She shows #6, #8, #9, and #10 in her various works. Consider the “Upon the Burning of Our House…” poem. When her house is burning, she cries out to God because she believes she has a direct and personal relationship with Him: “to my God my heart did cry/To strengthen me in my Distresse” (lines 8-9). She considers that God owns everything and that she should not be so attached to her worldly goods, which is a form of self-examination and reflection as well as her acknowdgement that bad things happen to good people to test their faith. Then she writes about her hopes of heaven and eternal life: “Thou hast an house on high erect/ Fram’d by that mighty Architect” because she believes Christ died for her sins: “It’s purchased, and paid for too/ By him who hath enough to doe” (43-44; 47-48).  You could go back through some of the other Puritan works and think about which of those key beliefs they show. I wouldn’t suggest trying to use all of the works or all of the beliefs: pick and choose them based on which works you can discuss best.  Then set up your outline. You know you’ll need 1-2 paragraphs per page and at least four full pages. That’s about 7-8 paragraphs (you could plan it with seven and add an eighth paragraph if necessary later). Here’s one way to set up your outline: Alternately, you could choose very few authors and discuss multiple beliefs for each one: Introduction Bradstreet: Belief #8 Bradstreet: Belief #6 Bradstreet: Belief #10 Edwards: Belief #8 Edwards: Belief #10 Conclusion A thesis for this paper might say: Bradstreet and Edwards illustrate the key Puritan beliefs of moral self-examination and earthly suffering as a test of God’s will. Just make sure that you focus on one main idea per body paragraph. Try not to get to the point that you’re discussing everybody’s work and every belief in list form. That’ll be overwhelming and won’t leave room for deeper discussion. Think about choosing fewer points and proving them more thoroughly. You could organize the paragraphs by the key beliefs or by the authors; that’s up to you.  Now here’s how to include your extra sources. Take the second outline for example: I would use Bradstreet’s works and Edwards’s sermon as my primary sources. Then I would look for secondary sources that help me understand Bradstreet and Edwards better. I’d use the databases to look up key words, like Bradstreet and suffering, Bradstreet and grace, Bradstreet and heaven, Bradstreet and misfortune. I’d look over any promising articles and then do similar searches for articles on Edwards.  I’d be looking for articles that directly support my paragraph topics and help explain things or give examples to the reader. For instance, if I found a good article on Edwards and self-examination, I would include that in paragraph 5 above.  Please note that our course eLectures, introductions/overviews of the authors – including those within our textbook, and our textbook’s official website are not the same as literary critical articles found through the library databases or eBooks. They offer overviews of the topics and authors, not the type of in-depth analysis you need. While you may use them as extra sources, you should not rely on them to meet your source requirements. (Note: I abbreviated the Puritan beliefs with numbers in my outline and notes. Of course, I wouldn’t really number the beliefs in an essay. I would write them out each time.)  Also, you may use more than the minimum number of sources if you like. You may also write a longer paper if you like. I do not assign a penalty for exceeding the requirements (e.g. an essay that is too long, too many sources); the only penalties are for not meeting the minimum requirements (an essay that is too short, not enough sources, not using primary + secondary sources, etc.).

Write an interpretive essay that analyzes literature from the perspective of a quotation. In your essay, interpret the quotation and explain how it applies to literature you have read. Support your viewpoint with evidence from a variety of literary texts that you have read. Include precise language and literary terms. “That’s what literature is. It’s the people who went before us, tapping out messages from the past, from beyond the grave, trying to tell us about life and death! Listen to them!” –Passage, Connie Willis