John Smith Hearts Pocahontas. Or does he?

Most recently, the Colin Farrell flick "The New World" attempted a more realistic telling of the completely unrealistic romance between John Smith and Pocahontas.

Compare the clip entitled "Spare him" to the Disney clip above.

Which do you prefer?

Final Exam Review

Your final exam will consist of two parts. The first is a critical essay (approx. 4 pages in length. You will choose one prompt from a list covering readings from THE HEPTAMERON through Bradstreet.

Topics that may be asked include:

How various authors represented the exploration of the New World

The influence of writers like Montaigne and De Las Casas on artistic representations of the New World (e.g. THE TEMPEST)

The perceived relationship between appearance and virtue

The power/responsibility of the artist (Prospero)

The second part of your final asks you to recreate one of our Socratic Seminars on paper. Reread Montaigne's "Of Coaches" in your textbook, and derive an essential question with which to begin the seminar.

Then, choose one character from each column below and have them engage in a Socratic Seminar based off of your essential question. Each character should ask at least 5 questions, and the characters should answer in a way that is true to who they are and what you know about them. Refer to the text as you have your characters responding.

I. De Las Casas, Anne Bradstreet, Shakespeare
II. Miranda, Prospero, Caliban
III. Amador, Florida, Marguerite de Navarre

You may bring your texts to the final exam, as well as any notes you think might be helpful. You MAY NOT bring any drafts.

Each portion of the final is worth 50% of the whole.

Section 029 will have their exam on Tuesday, December 11th, from 9:00-11:30
Section 042 will have their exam on Monday, December 10th, from 2:00-4:30

John Smith and William Bradford

John Smith

For Monday, please read the excerpt from John Smith's THE GENERAL HISTORIE OF VIRGINIA, as well as William Bradford's OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION.


As you read, consider the ways these men represented their adventures in the New World. What do you think was the purpose of each piece? How do these accounts differ from stories you have heard before? How does the language differ from de las Casas' work?

INFERNO Quiz #2

Our second quiz on Dante's DIVINE COMEDY: INFERNO is a webquest. Please complete the questions below and bring to class on Monday.

1. How many cantos are there in THE DIVINE COMEDY? Why is this number significant?
2. Write one tercet in terza rima about Dante.
3. Find a painting inspired by Dante's work. Write down the name of the artist, the year it was created, its titled, and a brief description. You may also copy/paste the image onto your paper.
4. Explain what the Guelph party in Florence was and what side Dante took in their political wars. What was the consequence for Dante?
5. Find a portrait in which Dante is wearing a laurel wreath. Explain what the wreath symbolizes and describe Dante. What impression do you get of Dante, the man?

Essay #2

Essay 2 asks you to focus on one text and read it critically in order to argue a specific point. In writing the paper, you should develop an original, argumentative thesis. Simply answering the questions below do not qualify as a thesis. The questions are prompts only. The particular argument you decide to make must be your own.

Remember, as you draft your paper, that you must not summarize the work in any way. Summary will earn you a grade no higher than a C. Your audience is an academic one, so imagine that your reader is familiar with the text. Maintain an objective, sophisticated voice (no I’s, you’s, etc.). Jump right into the essay without fanfare (no need for broad opening sentences about humanity, or literature, or love, etc.). Finally, be kind to me, and avoid the phrase “paints a picture” and other clichés.

Make sure to quote from the text. Choose quotes wisely. Ask yourself WHY this quote is important to include, then back it up with a statement that analyzes the quote. Incorporate all quotes into a sentence.

Choose one of the prompts below to develop into a 4-6 page paper. Please type and double-space your paper. Use Times Roman or Courier 12 point font. Use MLA style. The paper is due Wednesday, November 7th.

Shakunatala and the Ring of Recollection

In Sanskrit plays, the emphasis is on mood over plot. The emotional mood of the play, or Rasa, is the goal of the playwright. With this in mind, what can you say about the relationship of erotic love to religion in this play?

Oedipus

Examine the role of the chorus in the play. What is its function? What kind of link does the chorus provide between the audience and the actors? What kind of emotional release does the chorus provide? How about the chorus’ role in heightening dramatic irony?

The Arabian Nights

The Arabian Nights can be read as a critique of masculinity (and misogyny, of course). Examine the ways this text is “subversive.” Look closely at Shahrazad to determine what seems to command a woman’s love in the story.

Poetry of Li Bai and Du Fu

Analyze the ways in which both Tang Dynasty poets adhere to their spiritual beliefs in their poetry. Li Bai, a Taoist, focused on a companionship with nature and a kind of spiritual freedom. This differs from Du Fu’s Confucian beliefs only slightly. Whereas the Taoist sought a long and serene life via quiet, passive methods, the rationalist Confucian practiced virtue for virtue’s sake. How are these belief systems evident in the poetry?

The Conference of the Birds

Think about the Sufi ideal of worship that asks its worshippers to love God so completely that the self is extinguished. Choose scenes in The Conference of the Birds that depict this consuming love. What difficulties do the birds (and the characters in the stories the hoopoe tells) face when attempting to love this way?

Beowulf

How would you resolve the apparent contradiction between the elements of Christian faith and Teutonic myth that appear in Beowulf? Consider the ways the narrator judges the characters and events in the story. You may also think about the dire predictions at the end. What literal or figurative future do they represent?

CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS

Our reading for today is Farid ud-Din Attar's THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS.
THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS is set in Persia, which encompasses modern-day Iran.The story is similar to the ARABIAN NIGHTS in that it deals with the Islamic world and is set within a frame. However, this particular sect of Islam, Sufism, is distinct and unique. Perhaps you've heard of whirling dervishes?



The idea here is to dance as a form of spiritual ritual, with the ultimate goal of achieving purification and reaching God.

Attar's influence extends through the years. In fact, the story of "The Princess Who Loved a Slave" may remind you of Shakespeare!

My Mistress's Eyes
William Shakespeare

My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lip's red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun,
If hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
In some perfumes there is more delight
Than the breath with which my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know,
Music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Extra-Credit Essay #2: READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

For your second extra-credit essay, you are asked to read Azar Nafisi's nonfiction work, READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN. The book focuses on Iranian professor, Azar Nafisi, and the five female students who come to her home to discuss banned works of literature. The book is about the saving power of literature in the lives of these women.

For your extra-credit essay, develop an answer to the following question in 4-5 typed and double-spaced pages:

In discussing the frame story of A Thousand and One Nights, Nafisi mentions three types of women who fell victim to the king’s “unreasonable rule” (19). How relevant are the actions and decisions of these fictional women to the lives of the women in Nafisi’s private class? Use examples from your reading of THE ARABIAN NIGHTS and from READING LOLITA to support your claim.

The essay will be due at the end of the semester.