Category: Literature

It’s clear that Homer wants to present Odysseus as a heroic figure. But what kind of hero is he? What are his “qualifications” for the role, according to the poem? In what ways does it seem to be at times complicated for him to act heroically, given the various trials that he faces? And what other characters in the poem seem to also exhibit in however complicated a fashion for their own part, the kinds of qualities that we are encouraged to identify with heroism? You should use textual evidence to support whatever claims you make in answering the question, and the essay should be 6-9 pages long.

Sunday, Oct. 29, 11:59pm
Proposal (1 page) plus annotated bibliography of 3 primary sources and 1 secondary source
I have attached syllabus and assignment sheet for directions and sources we have covered

We began our investigation of slave narratives by looking at perhaps the most studied example of the genre, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. In a measured language, Douglass’s narrative tracked the transformation of a boy into a slave and the subsequent transformation of a slave into a man. We then analyzed Harriet Jacobs’s sentimental Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, exploring the ways in which Jacobs critiqued the institution of slavery by adopting the form of the sentimental novel.
choose ONE of our selected slave narratives, and come up with a compelling literary argument supported by textual evidence and analysis of that evidence. Rather than merely an account of various interesting things in the text, let the paper focus on a primary argument. Avoid needless summary or book report-style.
1. Formulate your own research question and argument. Make sure that your paper has a singular focused argument/thesis, that answers what, how, and why. What is the argument, how is the manner by which the text supports this argument, and why is the argument important? If you aren’t sure, feel free to run your idea by me and we can talk through it.
Requirements:
Cite from at least 1 of the assigned texts
4 to 5 pages (Double Spaced)
No citation of outside resources
passage from twelve years a slave
“It was rarely that a day passed by without one or more whippings. This occurred at the time the cotton was weighed. The delinquent, whose weight had fallen short, was taken out, stripped, and made to lie upon the ground, face downwards, when he received a punishment proportioned to his offense. It is the literal, unvarnished truth, that the crack of the lash, and the shrieking of the slaves, can be heard from dark till bedtime, on Epps’ plantation, any day almost during the entire period of the cotton-picking season, The number of lashes is graduated according to the nature of the case. Twenty-five are deemed a mere brush, inflicted, for instance, when a dry leaf or piece of boll is found in the cotton, or when a branch is broken in the field; fifty is the ordinary penalty following all delinquencies of the next higher grade; one hundred is called severe: it is the punishment inflicted for the serious offense of standing idle in the field; from one hundred and fifty to two hundred is bestowed upon him who quarrels with his cabin-mates, and five hundred, well laid on”

GRADING CRITERIA:
To complete this assignment, your essay must:
* address the importance of listening and the role it plays within your current or future profession using a minimum of five current, scholarly sources, using proper in-text citations as well as a bibliography
* establish a comprehensive, sophisticated, and personalized list of ten criteria for effective listening behavior by drawing on all that you have learned during this course (number each item and including a description for each individual criterion)
* provide a thorough, well-organized evaluation of your listening strengths as well as weaknesses according to your established criteria
* interpret all listening-test results in an explicit, descriptive, and meaningful manner (a reference to each portion of the tests is required). Your analysis should include all three listening tests (pre and the post Watson Barker and the Kentucky Comprehensive)
* provide descriptive, specific plans for the continued development of the listening behaviors you describe (especially focusing on those areas/behaviors that are weaknesses).

Include the following information in an organized manner (using subheadings for each) in each entry:
Date of listening experience
a detailed description of the listening experience (including where, who, what, how, and so on) with an emphasis on the verbal and nonverbal aspects of the episode
your purpose(s) and behavior as a listener (this is where you clearly emphasize your role as a discriminative or a comprehensive listener -keeping in mind that comprehensive listening also involves some discriminative listening, but your entry should primarily focus on the higher listening purpose even if some discriminatory aspects are mentioned)
a descriptive evaluation, supported by specific examples, of your strengths and weaknesses as a listener
what you learned about your listening -including how you might address your weaknesses

Include the following information in an organized manner (using subheadings for each) in each entry:
Date of listening experience
a detailed description of the listening experience (including where, who, what, how, and so on) with an emphasis on the verbal and nonverbal aspects of the episode
your purpose(s) and behavior as a listener (this is where you clearly emphasize your role as a discriminative or a comprehensive listener -keeping in mind that comprehensive listening also involves some discriminative listening, but your entry should primarily focus on the higher listening purpose even if some discriminatory aspects are mentioned)
a descriptive evaluation, supported by specific examples, of your strengths and weaknesses as a listener
what you learned about your listening -including how you might address your weaknesses

–In at least three paragraphs, express your thoughts on the poem, Canto XIII. (It is uploaded below)
— Then also tell me which value of Confucius philosophy would best help our country and why you think so.
–It is a poem about Confucius and his disciples. Do some online research on Ezra Pound and his Cantos and particularly on this one.

For this assignment, you will write a 2-page compare and contrast paper on two of the authors from this week’s reading or video. Be sure to give equal weight to each author. You may include some background information on your authors, especially if their backgrounds impacted their subject matter. When writing about short stories, you do not want to simply restate the plot or events in the story, but instead, focus on the details of how each author handled the theme of the story. In this case, you might want to examine how the author explored gender roles in the time period of the story. Remember, this may not be in the same period as the author is writing but could be a different period in history.
“Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood
“A Modern Marriage” by Grace Oluseyi
Ideas to consider when comparing and contrasting (these are not required, just suggested):
Do both stories reflect the same theme? If not, what is the theme of each story?
What are the characters’ conflicts? How does each character resolve that conflict or do they?
Are there any epiphanies? (An epiphany is where the character changes as a result of the conflict)
What about symbolism? Are any major symbols or metaphorical images used?
Use quotes and lines from the work to illustrate your points with in-text citations as needed. Use a References page to list your resources, including the assigned readings. You may use the Autumn Gem video as an outside resource if you choose to select Qiu Jin for one of the authors for your compare and contrast paper this week as well. Use the Study Guide tab on the video for more questions to guide your writing this week, if needed

This week, you will submit your outline and revised thesis statement. The outline is only the plan of what you will be writing and is not your final product. Think of it as your road map on your way to the finished paper. It will be your guide as you write the final course project paper.
Content:
Outline for the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon. Your outline should contain the following items:
An introduction with a well-developed thesis, strongly supported with evidence.
Clear ideas about how you intend to address the concepts covered in this course. Literary concepts to be examined in your paper include, but are not limited to, narrative structure, point of view, character development, theme, and significance of the novel’s subject matter (i.e., autism).
A conclusion for reporting a summary of your findings and how your ideas support your thesis
Organization:
Your thesis statement should be placed at the top of the outline, followed by a formal outline with standard formatting, such as Roman Numerals, for each major section of the paper. You will want to use capital letters for each sub-section of the outline. Use numbers under the capital letters for additional information or resources used. Your final paper will also have an introduction and conclusion, as well as the body section in the middle.
Include these Literary Terms 3 in outline:
Symbol
Magical Realism
Interior Monologue
Empathy
Theme

PURPOSE: The purpose of this assignment is to put you in the role of a critic. From the standpoint of an educated viewer, you will respond to and critique the productions you watch, using the tools we have covered in class.
PROCEDURE: In 3-4 (full) typed, double spaced pages, respond to the following prompts based off the play LES MISERABLES Do not include phrases such as “I liked,” “the X was good,” or “they were going for a X vibe.”- use details and develop your ideas around your responses.
What was being attempted IN LES MIS?
What was the main idea (theme) of the play?
How did the STYLE (as evidenced in acting, directing, design, writing, etc.) attempt to support the main idea? How did the CONVENTIONS communicate the style?
Were the intentions achieved IN LES MIS?
How were the ACTING choices appropriate (or not) for the piece? (Ensemble vs. individual, believability, connection with the audience, etc.)
How were the DESIGN choices appropriate (or not) for the piece? (Set, costume, lighting, and sound: establishment of period; visual metaphors; clarity of action, character, relationships, and space; contributions to mood, etc.)
Was the SCRIPT (text) itself challenging? Entertaining? Why or why not?
How did the AFFECT of the piece come across? What did you feel? Why?
How do you personally respond to the piece?
Would you recommend this play to a friend or family member? Why or why not?
Are you somehow better for having seen this play? How or why not?
You will be graded on the following:
-Paper speaks to and thoroughly explores each question
-Paper is well-organized and clear
-Paper shows evidence of proofreading (few mechanical errors)