PART II: Short Essay (20 Points Each): Select Two (2) of the Essay Topics Listed Below

PART II: Short Essay (20 points each): Select two (2) of the essay topics listed below. Write a 3-5 paragraph short essay with a topic sentence that serves as your thesis (FATt) supported by examples, details, and quotes from the primary text. Suggested Time: 50 minutes Open Book: After you turn in your Scantron, you may use your textbook for the essay. Extra Credit (5 points): If you have time, you may respond to a third essay prompt listed below.  Your first sentence is your thesis and should contain FATt  Use the present tense and skip lines  Answer all parts of the prompt (address all bullet points)  Use relevant quotes from the text to support your claim.  Use in-text MLA citations: Introduce the quote, “ ,” then cite it using this format: (Author page #)  Your writing should not contain spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors  Please see the rubric attached on page 17.

1. Two of the most striking images in Book 24 of the Illiad are those of Priam kissing the “man-killing” hands of Achilles and Achilles gazing in admiration at “majestic Priam.” Re-read this passage before answer the following questions. a. What message might Homer be trying to convey with these two images and with the ransoming scene as a whole? b. Explain the concepts of shared mortality and shared humanity as implied in this scene. c. Why is the proper burial of a human being (even one’s enemy) so important in this epic and how/why is Achilles depriving Hector and his family of that right?

2. The quest for knowledge is a recurring theme presented early in Oedipus the King. a. Trace the series of revelations that Oedipus uncovers in his quest for knowledge in Part I of the play, beginning with the news that the Priest delivers as the play begins. b. How does Oedipus respond to each revelation? Explain what his reactions suggest about his character. c. Explore the concepts of hubris and hamartia. What tragic flaws cause Oedipus’ downfall? d. Discuss the irony in gaining one’s sight in blindness. How does this apply to Oedipus?

3. Goethe’s characterization of Faust differs from earlier portrayals and reflects the Romanticism of the early nineteenth century. a. In an essay, discuss the ways in which Faust’s lines in “The First Part of the Tragedy” express Romantic ideals and create a portrait of a Romantic hero. b. Why is the Faust theme still relevant to us today? c. What contemporary films or plays contain the Faust theme?

4. In Voltaire’s Candide, Pangloss teaches the philosophy of Leibniz, which is in direct contrast to Manichaeism, the principles of which conflict with Pangloss’s optimism. a. Summarize the philosophy of Leibniz and the precepts of Manichaeism. b. Do we live in the best of all possible worlds? Since the world is dominated in part by evil, can it be perfect or perfectible? 1 c. Analyze the following quote from Candide: “Our work keeps us free of three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty.” d. Candide says, “We must cultivate our garden.” What does that mean? e. Martin, who is a Manichaean, says, “Let’s work without theorizing, it’s the only way to make life bearable.” What does that imply?

5. According to Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, what do women want? a. What role does the old hag play in the moral education of the Knight? (Think of her responses to his arguments that she is old, ugly, and poor). b. Discuss how the violent act of rape and the punishment that follows becomes the reason for the Knight’s transformation. What is the moral of this story? c. Is the Wife of Bath meant to contradict the misogynist ideas of her time, or to uphold them? Use the text to back up your argument.

Taming of the Shrew 6. Examine Kate's final speech on marital duty carefully. What evidence can you find (in that speech or elsewhere in the play) that she is delivering this passage seriously? On the other hand, what suggests that she may not believe her own words completely?

7. Shakespeare places the theme of love (platonic, romantic, and filial) at the forefront of this drama. Based on your reading, how are each of these forms of love characterized? What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the nature of each?

8. How should we interpret the tone of Kate's final speech in the play? Is she sincere? Sarcastic? Beaten down? How would you stage this scene if you were a director?

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee, And for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labour both by sea and land, To watch the night in storms, the day in cold, Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe, And craves no other tribute at thy hands But love, fair looks, and true obedience, Too little payment for so great a debt. My mind hath been as big as one of yours, My heart as great, my reason haply more, To bandy word for word and frown for frown; But now I see our lances are but straws, Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, That seeming to be most which we indeed least are. Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, And place your hands below your husband’s foot, In token of which duty, if he please, My hand is ready, may it do him ease. (V.ii.140–183)

2 NAME:

Literary Analysis Paragraph #1 Rubric 3=excellent 2.5=strong 2=adequate 1.5=needs work 1=poor

TOPIC SENTENCE expresses your point in relation to the prompt. (Should include author and title if not previously stated.) 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

QUOTES and/or SUPPORTING DETAILS from the text are appropriately used to support your point. Quotes/details are introduced and explained. 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

ORGANIZATION AND TRANSITIONS: ideas are introduced in a logical, coherent order and the transitions between ideas are smooth. 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

STYLE and TONE: paragraph contains appropriate tone, sentence variety, precise word choice, and is written objectively (no “I” or “You”) 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

CONCLUDING SENTENCE summarizes your thoughts and/or makes a real-world connection. 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

MECHANICS AND MLA CITATIONS: writing is free of punctuation, mechanical, and grammatical errors, including consistent verb tense. All quotes and cited in MLA style (Author page #). 3 2.5 2 1.5 1

Your paper is well written and it contains an ORIGINAL VOICE / STYLE. I’m engaged and intellectually stimulated. 2 1.5 1 .5

Total ______20

Your text should be double-spaced and your in-text citation should include the page number in parentheses after the quote with the period at the end, like this:

“She backed out of the room, stunned, as if she were blowing away like a small brown leaf,

thin, brittle, lifeless” (Smith 98).

3 NAME:

Total ______20

4 NAME:

Total ______20