Read These Instructions Now!

SYLLABUS

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS NOW!

1.) YOUR ASSIGNMENTS are on this SYLLABUS. READ IT ALL BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR WORK. Links for assignments are on this document. Download link is below to access class readings.

2.) To SUBMIT WORK …

A. FIRST, complete your assignments for “WEEK ONE” below (on paper or computer). Essays MUST be double spaced and size 12 Times New Roman black font. Always save your work.

B. NEXT, click “WEEK ONE” below and complete the classwork SUBMISSION form. Type or copy & paste responses that you have prepared, in the spaces provided on the form. Some assignments may require you to upload a response, a photo or scan. PROOFREAD and double check your work.

C. Then, submit your form with the full week completed and MOVE TO YOUR NEXT WEEK.

3.) GRADES: I will evaluate, issue a weekly score and return your submission in about 5 business days. Scores: 0 = F, 1 = D, 2 = C, 3 = B, 4 = A.

Your 5 weekly grades must average to a 2 (“C”) to receive your credit. You will NOT be given an opportunity to improve your weekly grade so submit your best.

4.) MESSAGE me directly from this site. Emergencies only, call Dr. Stroud MON-FRI 9AM TO 5PM at 773-499-2668

WELCOME TO WORLD LITERATURE

Course LIT113: World Literature: A study of early and modern representative works by major authors from six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Students examine a wide variety of literary genres and themes. Students analyze how the ideas and concepts presented in the works are both interconnected and reflective of the cultures and historical periods of the countries represented by the authors.

BEGIN READING “HAMLET” by SHAKESPEARE (use link below)

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/

Resources

Literary Devices

Types of Poetry

Read, study, and use for assignment application

Week 1a: AMERICA

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Read, ”Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Be detailed in your responses and give support from the text/links provided

1. What is Dr. King’s purpose for writing this letter? 2. How does King address criticisms that he is breaking the law and how does he recommend that Americans concerned with social justice break laws? 3. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. invokes passages from “The Gettysburg Address,” The Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. Why do you think he references these sources? How do these sources help make his letter more powerful? Support your answer.

4. Many critics of the Civil Rights movement urged Negroes in the U.S. to wait for their rights to be recognized. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” how does Dr. King answer these critics? Why does Dr. King believe that waiting is not the answer? Support your answer.

5. How does Dr. King make use of Gandhi’s notion of non-violent civil-disobedience? Does Dr. King, like Gandhi, believe that non-violence needs to be an active process, or does he believe that non-violent civil disobedience must be passive? Support your answer. ADD RESPONSE/S/ HERE

1b: Africa

Nelson Mandela

Be detailed in your responses and give support from the text/links provided

The Shifting Sands Of Illusion - http://www.speechwall.com/mandela-writings-1.html

1.) What is Nelson’s idea of, “democratic principle”? What is the importance of this?

2.) How does Nelson hope to gain political freedom?

3.) What characteristics does Nelson attribute to the, “Liberal Party”?

4.) Interpret the following quotation from paragraph 8- “Though they talk of liberty and human dignity they are subordinate henchmen of the ruling circles.

5.) Compare and contrast “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to “The Shifting Sands of Illusion”. (1 page double spaced)

ADD RESPONSE/S/ HERE

Week 2a: America Edgar Allen Poe

The Cask of Amontillado

"The Cask of Amontillado" is a chilling story, but Poe also uses humorous elements as the narrator recounts his experience with Fortunato.

. Identify elements in the story that might be regarded as humorous? . What does the humor add to the story

"The Cask of Amontillado" uses a first-person narrator (a narrator that is a character in the story), and, sometimes, first-person narrators can be unreliable.

. How reliable or unreliable do you regard the narrator? . Are there any ways that the narrator might be manipulating the truth? . How would you describe the narrator's attitude toward himself and his actions?

Although the narrator seems to assume that his actions are justified, he certainly can be interpreted as a villain.

. What characteristics of the narrator make him an effective villain? . Is there anything about the narrator that you find attractive or likeable?

Every story must exist in a certain time and place, and we refer to the time and place of a story as the "setting."

. How does the setting of "The Cask of Amontillado" change as the story progresses? . Why do you think Poe chose to bring together in this story the dreariness of the catacombs and the festival atmosphere of the carnival? . What elements of the setting in this story would you consider typical of a horror story? What elements seem unusual?

ADD RESPONSE/S/ HERE 2b: British Read your download: BRITISH ESSAYS

Read each essay thoroughly and respond to the following The Decay of Friendship; from The Idler, Number 23, September 23, 1758- by Samuel questions for EACH. Johnson (1709-1784) 1.) What message is the writer attempting to get across? How do you know? Give direct textual support and your Laughter; from The Spectator, Number 249, interpretation of the quote you are using for support. Why is December 15, 1711-by Joseph Addison this topic of interest to the writer?

An Apology for Idlers-by Robert Louis 2.) Critique the essay. Do you agree or disagree with its Stevenson (1850-1894) message? Why? What value does the essay have in application to your own life? On War- by James Boswell (1740-1795) 3.) Is the writer successful in making his point? Support your answer

Week 3a: Africa

African Poets

Lebo Mashile performing at The Drum, Birmingham 31st Oct 2009: http://vimeo.com/7532269

Phillippa Yaa de Villiers performing at The Drum, Birmingham 31st Oct 2009: http://vimeo.com/7782884

Keorapetse Kgositsile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6RXqJwOvMM

For each video you view, provide the following…

1.) A critique of the performance. Did they get their message across? Give feedback on the delivery, performance and video – give details? Feedback on the content of the words – what meaning do they have to you? What new important information did you learn?

2.) Create your own poem on a topic that was expressed in one of the videos you viewed. What message are you attempting to get across?

Week 3b

WORLD POETS

http://www.poetseers.org/the_great_poets/

 Chinese Poets  Indian Poets  Latin American Poets

Read the works of: Chinese, Indian, and Latin American Poets. Use ONLY the link provided. Using your glossary of “Literary Devices”, do the following…

A.) Share three poems from each country

B.) Interpret each poem. What message or emotion is each author attempting to convey?

C.) Write a concise biography of Pablo Neruda. Include his early years, family and successes in his career. Use independent research.

Week 4a: Australia -

Australian Dreamtime Stories – Aboriginal -

Be detailed in your responses and give support from the text/links provided -

1.) What is meant by the “Dreaming” and what impact does this have on their culture/ society? Give details.

2.) Choose 3 of their “beliefs”. What is your impression of each belief? Are they “believable” – explain?

3.) What is the role of “Ancestor Spirits”

4.) What are “Wandjina/Wondjinas”?

5.) BAJAME AND CREATION: Explain the importance of Bajame. According to their literature, how did the world come to be? What is your impression of this Australian Legend? 6.) Read the stories and… a.) What similarities do you see to American stories? b.) Are these stories you’d like to share with children? Why/Why not?

7.) Write your own “Dreaming” story in a form similar to the Australian Aboriginal stories you have read. Your topic is, “How the Ocean came to be…” Make your story believable! (no page requirement)

Week 4b

World Speaker/Literary Art Collective -

Expository essays -

I. ATTITUDE IS ALTITUDE -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJvEoLPLIg8 -

Type 2 full pages summary on how this video has impacted your life and what did you learn?

Follow Graphic Literature Link http://wordswithoutborders.org/graphic-lit/

Select 5 pieces of Graphic Literature and complete the following for each piece.

1.) Copy and Paste the artwork

2.) Your own critique. Discuss what you believe to be the literary impact of the art. Use terms from your “Literary Devices” glossary.

Week 5: Europe

HAMLET by SHAKESPEARE

(use link below)

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html

Be detailed in your responses and give support from the text/links provided Hamlet Questions

 What is "rotten in the state of Denmark," as Marcellus tells us? What do we learn about the situation in Scene I? In Scene II?  In what ways is Scene II a contrast to Scene I? What do we learn about Gertrude, Claudius, and Hamlet in this scene?  What does Hamlet learn from the Ghost's speech?

Act II

 What does this tell us about Polonius's character?  How does the interaction between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern help to explain what's wrong with Hamlet? Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?  The First Player's speech is often cut in performances of the play. Explain why it is important and why it should not be cut.

Act III

 What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?  Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?  What happens in the "play-within-a-play"?

Act IV

 Is Hamlet really mad in this play, or is merely pretending to be mad? (Find lines that support your answer.)  A foil is a character who is like the protagonist in some respects but who has contrasting qualities that "reflect" or illuminate the traits of the main character. Who are Hamlet's foils, and in what ways do their characters shed light on his?  Why is Ophelia mad? Does anything she say make sense? What happens to her at the end of Act IV? What does her madness and death symbolize about the kingdom?

ADD RESPONSE/S/ HERE Act V

 Why does this scene begin with two clowns trading jokes? Do their jokes make any sense in the context of the play?  When Gertrude drinks from the cup, Claudius asks her not to drink and she refuses. Has she ever disobeyed Claudius before?  Who is alive at the end of the play, and how do the others meet their ends?

LEARNING FROM HAMLET. Hamlet is more than a play to be studied in a classroom. It is a powerful story to be experienced, lived through as it were, and learned from.

1. To put it simply, what does Hamlet mean to you? What's it been like living with Hamlet these past few weeks?

2. Ophelia falls into the water accidentally and passively drowns. Discuss her death as a symbol of her life, her honor, and her relationship with Hamlet.

3. Discuss the concept of honor as it is presented and attacked in the play.