British Literature I

British Literature I Instructor: Ersinghaus Exam 2

This exam continues the evaluation of specific abilities begin in the first. Again, study groups may be in order.

Assessment will be built from these abilities:

Level 1: Identifies periods of literary history and their associated traits. Level 2 Correlates literary history with its social and cultural context. Level 1: Identifies and defines aesthetic elements using terminology of the discipline. Level 1: Evaluates the significance of specific passages to the complete text using appropriate terminology.

In addition, all General Education abilities are correlated to the above abilities.

Essay Questions. Note that these are comprehensive exam questions. Two essay are required. Be thorough and cite where relevant and necessary.

Part I

Required:

1. As I read Milton, something appears pressing about the character of Satan in Paradise Lost. Moreover, something appears pressing and comparable from Shakespeare’s character of Edmund in King Lear. Consider the narrative of diminishment as we have been talking about it. Satan begins in myth as a high angel and will eventually move from “high to low,” if we go with this sort of geographic analysis. So, let’s try this. In an analysis, compare and contrast the characters of Satan and Edmund. You should draw from Lear and Lost for evidence, using quotation and paraphrase to support your conclusions. Your thesis should specifically state the criteria of similarity and difference you will be pursuing.

Part II

Choose One Below:

1. This is a question that treats the idea of theme. Identify a significant theme, suffering or the wilderness, for example, from one of our Anglo-Saxon examples and trace it to the present moment. Be very specific about this theme and mark out a position on its significance in a direct thesis. And by present moment, I mean “the present moment.”

2. We have many “images” of the hero as protagonist. We have Shrek, Frodo, and Trump, for example. We have Harry Potter. We have Beyonce. Based on the texts we've covered this semester, trace how the idea of the hero has changed over time. What significant ideas and traditions influence our conception of this “figure”? Be specific and draw significantly from our texts. In this question you must use Paradise Lost as one of your works, in addition to another we’ve read.

3. What if a friend came up to you and said “The world certainly is a large place, filled with mystery and monsters.” Using works of British Literature, argue for or against your friend's observation using concepts of time, space, and cultural frames of reference to make your case.