Literature

For this week and all weeks of the term, you will write an original post of 200-300 words and respond to two posts from your colleagues in 150 or more words. All posts should be grounded in the details of the assigned texts with appropriate citations using MLA style. *******         Choose either The Inferno or “The Dream of the Rood.” Using one specific scene in either work explain how a Christian view of heroism considers and responds to the ancient problem of sin and our need for redemption.    The Church has always maintained that the study of the ancients allows us to see truth distantly through types and shadows. The fulfillment of all those ancient tales was to be found in the real heroes of Scripture and in the one true hero of the whole human race, Jesus Christ. So, it is no surprise that in an early Christian poem dating to the eighth century, “The Dream of the Rood,”  we find Christ described in terms reminiscent of what Homer had described. Likewise, Dante’s fourteenth-century masterwork The Divine Comedy incorporates classical figures into the story of one man’s journey from hell to heaven.

Momaday chose a travel narrative for the introduction to The Way to Rainy Mountain. Why did he choose the journey motif to structure this exploration of his cultural past? What roles do place and landscape play in Momaday’s physical and metaphorical journeys?

My concern with the essay is that your central idea reads more like a list of observations rather than one assertive idea that compares the two. It’s probably fine to consider different topics that the plays touch on, but what is the POINT you’re making about these things? This idea in your conclusion seems to be a more focused assertion: the outcomes [of the plays] concluded with the message of mercy and care for others. That’s something I think you could develop. That said, I know you have limited time and you may need/want to keep your thesis as is. Technically, you’re starting to have sections of your essay that support your thesis. But you want these sections to be more explicit in terms of how they link back to your thesis. Your topic sentence should clearly state an idea that supports your thesis. So, for example, when you talk about HATE CRIMES, your paragraph needs to state what the hate crime is and how the play examines the hate crime (you’ll use the term hate crime). Also, I imagine that Mr. Langdon wants you to give more specific references to the text (i.e. brief quotes) that become the illustration of your point — then your evaluation/follow-up breaks down the details of this illustration (it’s the evidence to prove your point). that is the feedback

Research Paper: Students will read numerous texts throughout the course of the term, and will choose one specific text for independent analysis and research. In addition, students will need to read at least three (3) essays of criticism about the text chosen for independent research. Students should use the Campbell library databases (not simply one-search) to complete research and find sources of criticism. The criticism chosen needs to be from a reputable source. Possible texts for independent research and analysis: All of the texts below can be found in your Anthology. You are ONLY to use texts assigned for THIS CLASS. Beowulf Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The Canterbury Tales—“The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale” “Verse Exchange between Elizabeth and Sir Walter Ralegh” “The History of the World” William Shakespeare’s Sonnets by number: 15; 18; 80; 116; 126; 130 William Shakespeare—Twelfth Night Ben Johnson –“To the Memory.. “ Robert Herrick –“His prayer to Ben Johnson” Thomas Carew –“To Ben Johnson “ Andrew Marvell –“To His Coy Mistress” John Milton 1897—“On Shakespeare”; “When I consider how my light is spent” John Dryden– “Shakespeare and Ben Johnson compared” ; Samuel Johnson—“The Preface to Shakespeare” John Dryden—“A Discourse Concerning the Original and Progress of Satire”– “The Art of Satire” Johnathan Swift – “A Modest Proposal “ Papers should include all five (5) of the following items: • (1) Discusses the development of a theme of the work • (2) Discusses the development of purpose in the work • (3) Discusses how the work reflects the paradigmatic thinking of the time • (4) Relates the discussion of the critics to the work • (5) Discusses the student’s interpretation of the work and critic response. Paper length: Use 2500-3000 as a guide; however, it can be as long as the student needs for it to be. Use MLA format for the layout of the paper, citations, and works cited page. The structure of the paper should not simply follow the order of the necessary characteristics of the paper, but all of the characteristics should be introduced and re-enforced throughout the paper as a whole element.

Steps to Completing the Research Paper   1.      Choose a text/author from the readings in the syllabus 2.      Choose TWO secondary sources for that text/author from the approved list.  If you want to use a secondary source that is NOT on the approved list, it must be approved by the instructor. 3.      Read and annotate each of the two secondary sources, and write a 200-250 word summary of each author’s argument.  This will become part of your research paper. 4.      Re-read the text that you are discussing in your paper.  Jot down your response to the following questions.  These are your notes to prepare your outline: ·         What have you learned about the text from the secondary sources that you did not know before?  ·         How has this information changed or expanded your interpretation of the text? ·         Explain what you now see as the importance and significance of the text, in your own words.  This is the beginning of your thesis.  Be sure to not just reiterate the argument of your secondary sources.  This is YOUR argument, that you developed from your research.   5.       Now that you have a working thesis, compose the INTRODUCTION to your paper with background on the text you are analyzing, the author (if known) and the culture it comes from.  This information should come from the textbook or the secondary sources.  Cite where appropriate.  What is the importance of the topic you choose to discuss?  Include a statement of thesis at the end of this first paragraph.  6.      Think of at least 3 main ideas that you will use to support your thesis.  These main ideas could come from the secondary sources, or it can come from your own interpretation of the text.  7.      Re-read the text that you are discussing in your paper, and look for good quotes to use as evidence to support at least TWO of your main ideas.  Each research paper must have TWO quotes from the primary source that are introduced in the essay with ample context and explained in detail.  Explain what the quote means, and how that supports the main idea of that paragraph.  8.      Construct an outline of the essay, which should follow the following format:                   — Introduction with background and thesis statement             — Summary of Secondary Source #1             — Summary of Secondary Source #2             — Main Idea #1 Are the brothers grimm traditional fairytale stories ?             — Main Idea #2 Should they be taken as life lessons ?             — Main Idea #3 Are the stories to gruesome to be widely accepted? 9.       Begin Writing.  Remember that each paragraph of the essay must follow this format:             Topic sentence             Supporting details             Context of the quote – if applicable             Quote (properly formatted in MLA style) – if applicable             Explanation of the quote – if applicable             Supporting details             Conclusion sentence and transition to next main idea. If this is a paragraph about your secondary source, then remember to put the page numbers in parentheses at the end of the paragraph.  DO NOT QUOTE DIRECTLY FROM THE SECONDARY SOURCE.  This should only be a summary. 10.   Go back and revise your thesis statement.  Make sure it accurately reflects the argument you make in your essay, and that it is specific enough to serve as a good guide to your reader. 11.  Write the conclusion.  Make sure to include a brief summary of the main points you made and what the secondary sources have given to your argument.  Leave some perspective as to how your topic relates to the study of world literature. 12.  Proofread and revise!!  Look for the following: ·         Grammar errors.  Are there any subject/verb agreement errors?  Changes in voice or verb tense?              Spelling errors?  Comma errors?  Sentence fragments?  Run-on sentences or comma splices? ·         Formatting errors.  Are the quotes punctuated correctly?  Is everything from an outside source cited correctly in MLA format? ·         Clear topic sentences.  The main idea of each paragraph should be obvious in the first two to three sentences. ·         Quotes.  Are quotes introduced with enough context?  Do you explain the meaning of the quote, AND how that supports your main idea?  ·         Works Cited.  Is there an entry for each primary and secondary source?  Is it formatted correctly with all of the relevant information?

Nature imagery in Chinese T’ang poetry. Think about the ways aspects of the natural world are represented one or more poems by Wang Wei, LiPo, and TuFu. You might focus on one kind of image (e.g. birds, water, landscape, seasons).  How does the author use these representations to convey the meaning of the text? What is the relationship of humans to the natural world? i have the recourses for you, (·      The paper should be 5 to 7 pages long (1250 – 1750 words), excluding Works Cited. ·       finished essay should express an argument about the significance of that theme. This argument, or interpretation, should be expressed in a clear thesis statement. ·      If you write about two or more texts, you must compare and contrast them with each other. ·      Paragraphs should be organized with a topic sentence, followed by sentences that build logically in support of the topic sentence. ·      Support your claims with evidence from the text, i.e. specific examples and quotations, and, where relevant, material from your secondary source(s), i.e. quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Explain how these examples support your interpretation. ·      When you quote, paraphrase or summarize the text, use parenthetical citations, and include a Works Cited page. Follow MLA style.)

7 page paper investigating the meaning of a sustained literary work of poetry or prose (Coates’ “Between the World and Me”) You will be interpreting the work for meaning on topic and theme and integrate outside secondary sources of literary criticism (that is authority interpretation of the specific work or body of work the author has published) 1 work of primary source (the work itself) 6-8 additional sources commenting on the work (secondary sources)

8-page minimum (separate cover page and bibliography, 1-inch margins, double space, font Times Roman 12, following MLA guidelines), due on the last day of classes; on a topic approved by the professor.  Write a research paper on the topic you will be researching in regards to the novel Blindness by Jose Saramago.  Include at least two academic sources (from JStor or Academic Search Premiere, available through QC’s library database)

For this Lesson 1 Learning Engagement review especially “An Approach to Close Reading” and “Literary Criticism: Approaches & Guiding Questions”. These are both already embedded in the Lesson 1 resource material, just above the icon for Lesson 1 Learning Engagement.  The intention of a close, critical reading of literature is more than just understanding the story or narrative being told. The intention is to understand the author’s purpose: what deeper message about the universal and contemporary conditions of life did the writer want to relate? By extension, we must understand the intended audience of the text, and the author’s point of view (attitude) towards the subject. It is paramount to remember that a close reading attempts to form a viewpoint on the author’s intended meaning of a text. To do this we must stay connected to evidence from the text, and there are specific techniques to help us accomplish this. Three resources posted in lesson 1 will direct this inquiry. They are: 1. The Critical Essay 2. Approaches to Close Reading 3. Approaches to Literary Criticism Please read over these resources during week 1, and refer to them often as you read the course texts. Lesson 1 Learning Engagement Prompt The out of class assignments will help analyze the ideas of the weekly Learning Engagements more deeply, and build close reading techniques through writing. Lesson 1 will focus on summarizing. In a summary, you must identify the key facts of the text, and their relationship to each other (support detail, cause, motivation, etc.). However, it is not necessary to analyze them in depth, or draw final conclusions about the deeper importance of the text. Please compose a thoughtful and detailed response to the following prompt. Follow APA essay format and cite evidence from the text to support your answers. Your posts should be 200 words. Part 1, Your Post, The PROMPT: Choose one of the readings you were assigned in Lesson 1 Assignments and write a summary of the passage. In your summary, answer the following questions about the aspects of the narrative. 1. What are the settings in the text (direct and indirect)? 2. What characters are involved (directly or indirectly)? 3. What conflicts can you identify that involve the narrator (internal or external)? 4. How is the passage organized? What is the sequence of events or thoughts from beginning to end? 5. What is the narrator’s purpose for writing? What central ideas does he want to communicate? Who is his audience? What is his point of view of the subject?

To prepare: Review the steps you used to begin the literature review. Consider the difficulties you faced in starting the literature review process. Think about the strategies that you used to deal with these challenges. Post an explanation of the challenges you encountered as you began to synthesize and integrate the resources for your literature review. Describe how you addressed these challenges and offer at least one strategy to your colleagues for writing a literature review.