RGST 147

RG ST 147: American Religion in Context: American Apocalypse

Summer Session A 2021

Instructor: Lindsay Atnip

Midterm Exam

Due: Sunday, July 11th, 11:59 pm.

Your exam consists of two short essays, 1.5-2.5 pp. (double-spaced) each. Please answer either a. or b. from Question 1, and either a. or b. from Question 2.

1. Answer ONE of the following two questions (1.5-2.5 pp.)

a. Frank Kermode claims that apocalyptic myths arise to give meaning to our lives which are lived “in the middest”—we project our preoccupations and anxieties onto a narrative with an origin and an end, and such apocalyptic narratives reflect “a widely shared sense of crisis” (The Sense of an Ending, p. 16). With reference to Kermode and, if you like, the book of Revelation, what are some of the key features of the apocalyptic myth, and—according to Kermode—how have such myths served, or how do they serve, to give sense to human experience, traditionally and in modernity?

b. After recurrent disconfirmation of apocalyptic prophesy, Kermode argues, the character of the understanding of apocalypse changes: “No longer imminent, the end becomes immanent” (25). Referring to Kermode’s account, what does it mean to take the apocalypse as “immanent” as opposed to “imminent”?

2. Answer ONE of the following two questions (1.5-2.5 pp.)

a. Robert Lowell’s “The Quaker Graveyard at Nantucket” has been characterized as “apocalyptic,” presenting human history as a trajectory toward some final (self-?)destruction. Instead of the four horsemen, dragon, whore of Babylon, etc., Lowell uses the imagery of the sea, sailors, and whaling, and particularly the Nantucket Quakers and mad Captain Ahab’s doomed quest for the White Whale. What do Lowell’s images and allusions imply about the character of human sin, failure, or transgression, and about the (divine?) standard of judgment? You may make reference to the biographical and historical context of the poem (Warren Winslow’s death in World War II), but the bulk of your answer should consist in a close reading and interpretation of passages from the poem.

b. Flannery O’Connor once wrote, “I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moments of grace. Their heads are so hard that almost nothing else will work” (O’Connor, “On Her Own Work,” Mysteries and Manners, p. 112). How does violence function in O’Connor’s story or novel as an agent of revelation for Mrs. Shortley or (Francis) Tarwater (or perhaps Rayber), and what is the character of the revelation? Your answer should include reference to and interpretation of specific images and dramatic events.

Guidelines

· Your answers should be mini-essays, that is, they should state and argue for a main thesis that responds to the question, and defend that thesis with evidence and reasons.

· Your thesis and argument should be about what is claimed or implied in the texts, not (directly) about the world, human beings, the apocalypse etc. i.e. “Kermode claims that the apocalyptic myth is xyz,” not just “The apocalyptic myth is xyz.” The texts are the evidence we have at our disposal in this course (not a wide array of apocalyptic myths, a survey of human history, empirical data about human sensemaking or psychology, etc.). One of the author’s names should appear in each of your thesis statements!

· Support your claims with textual evidence. When quoting, a page number is sufficient for reference as long the text to which you are referring is obvious from the context.

· Answers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

· Clearly stated, text-based main claim responding to question

· Coherent and logical argument

· Thorough and appropriate use of textual evidence

· Readability (clarity, succinctness, correct grammar/spelling—please proofread!)