Final exam

English 1B --- Final Exam

You will write a coherent essay (intro, topic sentences, transitions, focused body paragraphs, specific examples and analysis, conclusion…) of at least four (4) full pages.

Identify a specific thematic or textual element (event, image, character trait, decision, value, concern, problem, metaphor, job, gender role, hierarchy, power structure, fear, problem, solution, community………) in Parable and Soylent Green.

Discuss, analyze, compare, contrast, describe, and otherwise explore this element in the two texts to produce a coherent argument.

Go beyond description or cataloging of similarities. Analyze. Argue a point or insight.

Consider the following questions, but do not try to answer all of them:

How does this specific element work, how does it shape the narratives, how does it shape people’s survival or choices or emotions or hopes for the future? Why is it an important element of the texts? How does this specific element support or illustrate or convey the overall “point” of the texts? How does science fiction engage with this theme? Why? If science fiction is trying to be a warning or prediction or social commentary, how does this specific element fit into an understanding of our future? Basically, what does this element seem to “mean” in these texts?

You can include short references to other science fiction examples, including Vatos, The Road, and The Book of Eli, but you should not include “real world” research.

Your final should not overlap in topics, arguments, or material with your Parable essay.

You might consider elements like:

Work, wages, working conditions, unpaid labor

Women’s rights, safety, sexual autonomy

Masculinity, power, authority

Wealth, power, abuse of power, luxury

Corporate power, abuse of power

Agriculture, relationships to the land

Hunger, food, lack of resources

Metaphors, symbols

The collapse of social norms, taboos

The role of the environment in social stability/instability

The role of religion, faith, or optimism in times of crisis

Justice, the law, policing, punishment, fairness, rights

Community, mutual support, sharing, trust, family

Historical references, American history, the idea of America as a democracy

Dignity, safety, respect for the elderly, rights, social norms

These are just suggestions, not formulas or checklists.

Your 4-page essay is due to Canvas no later than Thursday, 6/11.

All other work, including your Parable essay, is also due to Canvas no later than 6/11.