English Lita. (Exam Essay )

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Exam 2 will ask you to compare/contrast some interesting theme, event, or character(s) from more than one time and place. You need to select at least one text from those you have studied in Unit 3, and one from either Unit 1 or Unit 2. You may discuss more than two texts, but the discussion MUST be in depth with many supporting examples from the texts you have selected. It is much better to work with two texts in depth than with more than two superficially. Possible topics include:

Possible topics include:

1. Gilgamesh , Odyssey , Agamemnon , Medea , Aeneid and Arabian Nights - woman troubles in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them

2. Odyssey , Aeneid and Arabian Nights - adventures and marvels in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them

3. Aeneid and Roland - two visions of empire

4. Lysistrata, Aeneid (Dido) and Arabian Nights - how women relate to heroes, power and empire in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them.

5. Bhagavad-Gita and Roland : two visions of the relationship between war, heroes and divinity

6. Aeneid and Arabian Nights - two ideas of fate or destiny

7. Odyssey and Arabian Nights - brave, clever Penelope and brave, clever Shahrazad - the right kind of wives

8. Gilgamesh, Agamemnon, Oedipus, Creon compared to Charlemagne and/or Shahrayar - rulers and powers; law and tyranny - be sure to include either Roland or Arabian Nights

9. Rama and Roland - two very different kinds of heroes

10. A pair or group of your choice, so long as at least ONE text is from Unit one or two and ONE from Unit three: You must let me know what you want to use as a question and what your point will be in advance of the essay. Sometimes students create questions that simply do not work for exams. I can be helpful if you contact me in advance (which does not mean the day you intend to take the exam).

Remember--your essay must have a point to it; it should be able to answer a reader's question: SO WHAT? If you are having trouble thinking about how to plan your exam, you are welcome to email me with questions but do NOT send me a full outline or draft of your exam. I will not read those. I will read and respond to a statement of thesis topic that explains which texts you intend to write about and what your main point will be.

Plan on about two hours to write and edit your essay before posting it-- I want good writing as well as good thinking; you may have more time if you wish.

You should develop an essay of not less than eight hundred words; it may be longer if you need to say more about your topic. You may bring notes and articles to the testing center; the notes and articles will be stapled to your test and returned to me. You may also bring your textbook to the testing center.

Note: If you are using etexts, you will not be able to access them from the Testing Center. You may bring short printouts of texts--don't bring more than ten pages! That will force you to plan in advance to decide what you actually will use for the essay.

You may not bring a draft of the essay, or completed Activities. Be sure to support any statements you make with examples from the texts themselves. The purpose of this exam is to encourage you to demonstrate your own understanding and thinking about what you have read; there is no simple, single answer to any of these questions.

You must cite any sources you use in your essay.

For the exam itself, discuss the group you have selected. Look at the similarities and differences between/among the works in your group. Be sure to ask yourself, "so what?" and try to answer that question. This will help you to focus your discussion. Be sure to use plenty of specific examples from the texts you choose to support your ideas.

Grading

Exam 2 is worth up to 150 points. I grade holistically, so I cannot assign specific points to specific elements of the essay. However, these are the criteria I consider when grading essays:

Develop a topic of comparison that is relevant to the texts you have chosen to write about

Contact me and discuss your proposed topic before taking the exam.

State your topic of comparison in a clear and complete manner at the start of your essay.

Develop your ideas into a coherent essay of about 800 words.

Use plentiful, specific references to the texts you are writing about to support your main points.

Make sure your essay has a point (e.g. an answer to the reader's question, SO WHAT?)

Write your essay in clear, correct English.