Instructions:
Read each question thoroughly. In MLA format that is written with a response that is a minimum of one four to five sentence paragraph per question, answer each question in complete sentences and in complete paragraphs that contain a topic sentence, at least one claim, an analysis, and a conclusion. Quotations may be used to justify your claims. Citations are not required. Your answers will be graded for accuracy and how thoroughly you answer each question. Clear, direct answers focusing on one specific aspect of the prompt are required. You may answer each component of each prompt. Each question is eight points. Answer with specific examples and illustrations to prove your point.
Analyze how classical and aesthetic realism both can be used as a lens of interpretation of Flaubert’s “A Simple Heart”. Are classical notions of moral absolutist ideology necessary to examine in order to define the purpose of Félicité representation in the novella? Why or why not?
Compare and contrast bestial notions or carnality shown in the novella with the beauty of ritual and imitation reflected through the life o Félicité in the novel. What does Flaubert say about human nature? Are humans essentially good as Rousseau states as shown in the novella? Is Félicité in fact a saint, or are there other underlying motivations for her actions of servitude? Why? Give specific examples and illustrations from the plot.
Make a connection between Cartesian Dualism and the notion of irony and paradox in Ivan Ilych. How does this reflect the shallowness of Ivan’s character and works as a medium for Tolstoy’s critique of the aristocracy that inevitably led to Revolution in Russia seven years after his death?
Discuss the metaphysics of finding meaning through Ilych’s existential experience. Analyze Heidegger’s notion of “being” and “time” in connection to a superficial interpretation of Ilych. How is Yeats a visionary poet? Analyze the importance of imagery such as “gyre” in “The Second Coming” and “Sailing to Byzantium” to define this notion. Compare and contrast idealist notions of the future with that of the prevalence of pessimism in the poems through deconstructionist imagery.
Focus on the two readings of the “The Wasteland” as either entirely a response to the World War or a critique of such. Which is the most accurate reading based on the author’s purpose. Compare and contrast Eliot’s’ pessimism versus his idealism in “The Wasteland”. Can the text best be identified with deconstruction or is the subtle idealism one the can bring about a constructivist approach.
Define both a post-modern reading of Endgame and a modernist reading of the work based on the characteristics of each literary movement. Compare and contrast the two readings. Which reading most accurately identifies Beckett’s purpose in writing the play. Why? Use specific examples and illustrations to prove your point.
Focus on psychoanalytical criticism and ecocentrism as modes of interpretation of the play, Endgame. Tie the two together to promote one central goal and purpose of Beckett’s play that many critics argue is a play devoid of meaning. Analyze the notion of “meaning” in Endgame. Is “meaning” unattainable or attainable within the play? Why? Pinpoint various philosophies the characters in the play interact with to prove your point. Focus on the nature of semantics and the themes of cultural decline throughout the course of the play Beckett addresses to answer the question as well. Does philosophy itself ultimately have meaning by the end of the play? Why or why not?
Compare and contrast Beckett’s notion of the apocalypse with that of Yeats. Compare and contrast Beckett’s interaction with religion versus nihilism, as well as Yeats’ interaction with similar ideals. What are the predominate similarities and differences between the two?
Define Thiong’o’s “Wedding at the Cross” in terms of a critique of colonialism. How can the short story be interpreted from a post-colonial lens? How are the ideologies within the short-story relevant today as a piece of contemporary literature? You may bring in research from literary critics to prove your ideas.
Define the notions of self-deception and reputation in the “Wedding at the Cross”. Tie in points identifying the ritual of British standards of religion and imitation of the colonizers to critique Wariuki and Douglas Jones. How does the short story prove that blindly following tradition is meaningless? How can you tie this point into Tolstoy’s the Death of Ivan Ilych?
The following essay counts as 12 points. Write a five-paragraph essay in MLA format addressing the following prompt:
Compare and contrast the definition of Nietzschean self-deception and illusion tied to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as a critical interpretation with that of Biblical allusions as a mode of criticism to interpret the novella. How are these two conflicting approaches used to achieve Tolstoy’s purpose in writing the novella?
