help with makeup assgn (13) due in 3 days

Module 4 Task 6

TASK 6. Read through all the Dante's Inferno Activities below. Then select one of these questions to answer for Activity 9, and upload it here.  These Activity entries must be thoughtful;  each one should be the equivalent of at least a full typed page or more in length (e.g. not less than 250 words).  They may be longer if you need to say more on your topic. You will not be able to do these Activity entries properly unless you have carefully read the assigned literature.

WORLD LITERATURE I

Task Six:  Activities for Dante's Inferno

Select an Activity that interests you; make a copy of the Activity question to begin your response. Upload your Activity here. These Activity entries must be thoughtful; each one should be the equivalent of at least a full typed page or more in length (e.g. not less than 250 words).  They may be longer if you need to say more on your topic. You will not be able to do these Activity entries properly unless you have carefully read the assigned literature.

1) In Canto 5 of the Inferno, Paolo and Francesca personify the ethical dilemmas of courtly love, and they are punished in hell for their love. Who or what, exactly, was to blame for their going to hell? Explain this in detail, using the text to support your comments.

2) All the women in the Inferno seem to be there for misconduct connected to sexuality. Identify some of the women in the Inferno and specify exactly what their sins were and how their punishments are suited to their crimes. Now, can you identify any men who are in hell for sexual crimes? Are these cases similar to the women's, or different? Explain and support your responses with examples from the text.

3) The Inferno presents a thoroughly medieval Christian vision of hell, although it draws heavily on the classical past, especially Virgil's Aeneid. Identify some elements in the Inferno that you think are specifically Christian, and some that you suspect are leftovers from pagan antiquity. Explain how both work together in the text to create Dante's special medieval vision of hell.

4) A subtitle for the Inferno could be "the punishment fits the crime." Give some examples of this from the text and discuss whether or not you agree with Dante that these are appropriate punishments for the crimes committed. Explain why you think this concept of the punishment fitting the crime was important to Dante. Support your comments with specific examples from the text.

5) Canto 26 tells about Ulysses (the Latin name for Odysseus), who is in one of the lower circles of hell, because he was an evil counselor. How do you think the Greek hero Odysseus degenerated into the Christian villain Ulysses? Support your ideas with examples from the materials you have read during this course as well as a close reading of Canto 26.

6) Compare Tennyson's poem Ulysses with Dante's representation of him in Canto 26. Why does Dante disapprove of Ulysses? Why does Tennyson approve of him? Can you think of any interesting ideas about the changed times which could account for at least some of this change?   Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Poetry Foundation.pdf Download Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Poetry Foundation.pdf  

7) Popul Vuh, part 3, has its own underworld, Xibalba, ruled by the terrible Lords of Death. Compare/contrast this vision of the underworld with Dante's Inferno; especially note interesting similarities/differences between Satan and the Lords of Death.

8) Read Popul Vuh. Then review the creation story in Genesis in the Hebrew Bible and think about any interesting/relevant parallels and significant differences between the two.

9) In part 3 of Popul Vuh, two heroes enter Xibalba and conquer the Lords of Death, killing them. Is there anything at all in Dante's Inferno that remind you of this conquest? If so, explain, supporting your ideas with specific examples from both texts.

10) In Canto 28, Dante represents Mahomet as a demonic monster. This is not unlike the representation of the Muslim Saracens in the Song of Roland. Compare the representations of Muslim beliefs in the two poems and see if you have any ideas why there was such intense hatred of Muslims in the Catholic Middle Ages as you can see in these poems. Do you think it was a response to the Crusades? To the developing competition that Europe was beginning to offer the Muslim world? To what? You might want to look in a good history book or encyclopedia to get some more concrete information on this disturbing issue. Support your ideas with specific examples from Dante's Inferno and Roland.  Be sure to document your sources.

11) If you were Dante (or more appropriately, Minos, who assigns sinners their punishment in Hell) where would you place some of today's infamous newsmakers in the Divine Comedy's structure of hell and why?

12) On the other hand, this essay: "The Uncanonical Dante: The Divine Comedy And Islamic Philosophy: by Paul A. Cantor, examines elements in Dante that derive from Islamic philosophers, especially "Averroës, or Abu al-Walid Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Rushd, to give him his full Arabic name." After reading the essay carefully, look for elements in Dante that are NOT anti-Islamic, but actually stem from Islamic culture or an awareness of its importance.  Be sure to document your sources.   Paul Arthur Cantor - The Uncanonical Dante: The Divine Comedy and Islamic Philosophy - Philosophy and Literature 20:1.pdf Download Paul Arthur Cantor - The Uncanonical Dante: The Divine Comedy and Islamic Philosophy - Philosophy and Literature 20:1.pdf  

13) Dante was the medieval master of political correctness in his Divine Comedy, even though he got into plenty of trouble for siding with the wrong (e.g. losing) side politically in the real world.  Look through a few of the cantos and see who you can find in hell because Dante did not like his principles and/or politics. Are there many? Do you agree with Dante that they belong in hell? Use specific examples from the Inferno to support your ideas.

14) Examine the role of Virgil in the Inferno. Why do you think Dante chose him as his guide? What kind of help could Virgil offer to Dante? What could Virgil not do for Dante? What does this have to do with Virgil being a pre-Christian poet? Support your ideas with examples from the text.

15) Do a survey of your favorite monsters in the Inferno. What traits do they share? Are they like other monsters you've read about, or do they have special qualities unique to the Inferno? Support your main points with specific examples of monsters from the Inferno and elsewhere.

16) Why is Satan locked in ice at the bottom of hell? Do you think this is an appropriate place for him? Explain in some detail just what this Satan is and what his role is in the Inferno.

17) First, list the sins of the nine circles in descending order. Then, make a list of what you consider to be modern sins in descending order, from least to most awful. Compare/contrast your list to Dante's in some detail. How are the two lists similar; how are they different? And so what?

18) A fairly recent film, What Dreams May Come (starring Robin Williams), presents a view of the afterlife that uses some ideas and images from Dante's Inferno. It also is a thoughtful, visually wonderful, representation of less punitive concepts of life after death. Watch the film, paying close attention to the explanations given about why suicides go to hell. Then, compare this to Dante's vision of suicides and others in hell. What interesting similarities and/or differences do you find? So what? Be sure to use specific examples from both the film and the poem to support your ideas. 

19) Make up an interesting question of your own that relates to Dante's Inferno and answer it in full detail. Check with me first to get approval for the topic.

 

Module 4: Reading Quiz 2

Module 4:  Reading Quiz 2.

Read the  "Rules of Courtly Love" Links to an external site.  by Andreas Capellanus. This text dates to 1184. 

Write your own list of modern rules of love. Include at least 10.

Reflect How are your rules similar to those in The Art of Courtly Love? How are they different? Write at least four sentences. 

Medieval Sourcebook Andreas Capellanus The Art of Courtly Love Rules-1.pdf Download Medieval Sourcebook Andreas Capellanus The Art of Courtly Love Rules-1.pdf 

Task 3. Courtly Love Activities

TASK 3. Read through all the Courtly Love Activities below. Then, select one of these questions to answer for Activity 8, and post it to the Unit 4, Forum, Task 3:  Activity 8: Courtly Love Forum. These Activity entries must be thoughtful;  each one should be the equivalent of at least a full typed page or more in length (e.g. not less than 250 words).  They may be longer if you need to say more on your topic. You will not be able to do these Activity entries properly unless you have carefully read the assigned literature.

 

WORLD LITERATURE I

Task 3, Unit 4:  Activities for Love, Courtly and Otherwise

Please read through all of these Activities before making your selection. Make a copy of the Activity question to begin your response. Post your response there, Task 3, Unit 4, Activity 8: Courtly Love Forum. These Activity entries must be thoughtful; each one should be the equivalent of at least a full typed page or more in length (e.g. not less than 250 words).  They may be longer if you need to say more on your topic. You will not be able to do these Activity entries properly unless you have carefully read the assigned literature.

1) “Lanval” is one of the more “courtly” stories. Lanval starts out as a noble, but impoverished knight, and his love for a superior, magical lady greatly improves him. Go through some of the “rules” at the The Art of Courtly Love and show how they apply to Lanval.

2) Read the Courtly Love Study Guide and the selections from The Art of Courtly Love.   Medieval Sourcebook Andreas Capellanus The Art of Courtly Love Rules.pdf  

Focus on the "rules" at the end. Do you think people actually lived by these rules or do you think they were part of an elaborate court game? Can you find any similar rules nowadays? Write your own list of modern rules of love. How are your rules similar to those in The Art of Courtly Love? How are they different? What does that tell you about how people have or have not changed in the past 800 years?

3) Read Andrew the Chaplain's list of the rules of courtly love in The Art of Courtly Love.   Medieval Sourcebook Andreas Capellanus The Art of Courtly Love Rules-1.pdf Download Medieval Sourcebook Andreas Capellanus The Art of Courtly Love Rules-1.pdf  

Then, write your own "modern" rules for the game of love.  After you have done so, compare them to Andrews's list and comment on how they are the same, and how different, and why.  Be thoughtful here--we are living in a very different world.  Be sure to support your comments with specific examples.

4) Consider the roles of the woman in Marie de France’s “Laustic” and Boccaccio’s “Tenth Story of the Tenth Day,” otherwise known as “Patient Griselda.” Can you reconcile these subjugated women with the “myth” of courtly love? How? Give specific examples from both stories and from the “rules” in The Art of Courtly Love.

5) Select two or three medieval lyrics that deal with the pains and desires of love for an unattainable lover. Cite the lyrics by author and title. Then, discuss themes they have in common and support your ideas using specific examples from the lyrics.  Do you think there are any significant differences between these lyric views of unattainable love and modern attitudes? Be specific in your response and develop your ideas.

6) Look closely at the mixture of religious and earthly love imagery in Petrarch's poems (You can search the Internet if you want to find Petrarch's poems online). Compare this to the descriptions of love you have read in one or more other texts during this course, such as the love of Odysseus for Penelope, or the love of Enkidu for the prostitute, or the love of Dido for Aeneas, or the love of Medea for Jason.  Can you find any similarities?  What, exactly, are the big differences?  Support your answer with specific examples from both texts.

7) The Queen in “Lanval” falsely accuses Lanval of having made improper advances to her, because she is angry that he refused her improper advances. He is put on trial and is only saved by the arrival of his lady. This story has an ancient analog in the story of Joseph in the Hebrew Bible. When Joseph is in Egypt, Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph and he rejects her. She then falsely accuses him of making improper advances to her and he is actually thrown in prison. Compare these two stories and see if you can find any interesting similarities and/or differences. Be sure to support your ideas with specific examples from both stories.

8) Go to the database of Medieval Movies.  HYPERLINK   https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/medfilms.asp Links to an external site.

See if you can locate a film that deals with the matter of Courtly Love. Watch the film and write a critical review, indicating what you think was genuinely "medieval" about it and what you think was simply film fakery.

9) First read the introduction to The Story of Ying Ying, which suggests that both lovers are unpleasant, deceitful people. After reading The Story of Ying Ying, decide whether or not you agree. Why or why not? Support your ideas with plenty of specific examples from the text.

10) Compare attitudes towards sex outside of marriage in the story of Brother Alberto in the Decameron and The Story of Ying Ying. Do you see any interesting similarities? Any interesting differences? And so what? Support your ideas with plenty of specific examples from both stories.

11) Select two or three medieval lyrics that deal with the pains and desires of love for an unattainable lover. Cite the lyrics by author and title. Then, discuss themes they have in common and support your ideas using specific examples from the lyrics.  Do you think there are any significant differences between these lyric views of unattainable love and modern attitudes? Be specific in your response and develop your ideas.

12) A common theme of courtly love is the ennobling of the lover by love. Select two or three lyrics that deal with the relationship between love and a noble or gentle heart. Cite these lyrics by author and title, and then discuss the way they present the ideal lover and the impact of love on him/her. Can you think of any modern parallels? Be specific in your response and develop your ideas.

13) Write a poem about a hopeless love for a superior and unresponsive beloved.  Use Petrarch's basic ideas and images and adapt them to modern circumstances.  If you do this one, put some real work and thought into it; otherwise stick with a more objective question.

14) Some of the lyrics are clearly about sexual love, not marriage. Select two or three of these, cite the lyrics by author and title, and then discuss the way they present the pursuit and satisfactions of love, using specific examples from the lyrics. Do you think there are any significant differences between these lyric views of love and modern ones? Be specific in your response and develop your ideas.

14) Compare the representation of women in Marie de France’s stories, “Lanval” and “Laustic,” to that of women in any one or two tales from the Nights.  What are the interesting similarities?  What are the significant differences?  Support your answer with specific examples from all three texts.

Module 4: Reading Quiz 1

Module 4:  Reading Quiz 1:

Read  "Lanval" Links to an external site.  by Marie de France. Then, read the Biblical story of  Joseph and Potifar's wife Links to an external site. . 

Compare the stories. What similarities do you notice? What are the differences? What is the moral of each story? Which story do you find more powerful, and why?

- Good answers should be at least 250 words.

- Try to address at least 3 similarities and 3 differences. 

- Be as specific as you can. Refer to details in the text. Prove that you did the reading!

Plagiarism Reminder

Compose the entirety of your answer yourself. Do not copy answers from online sources. If you quote from the assigned texts, remember to use quotation marks (Ex: "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.")

Week 11 Discussion Question 1

What similarities and differences did you see in Lanval" and "Laustic," by Marie de France; selections from the Decameron, and "The Story of Ying Ying."?  What stood out the most as you read these selections?

Module 4: Reading Quiz 4

Module 3:  Reading Quiz 3:  The Role of Women

What can you tell from the readings about the role of women in Roland's and The Arabian Nights' societies?

How does this role compare to the role of women in Gilgamesh's and Odysseus' societies?

Do you think that Christianity and Islam has influenced the role of women in these texts at all? Why or why not?

- Good answers should be about 250 words.

- Be specific. Refer to examples from the text to prove your conclusions.

Plagiarism Reminder

Complete this quiz entirely on your own. Do not copy answers from online sources. If you quote from the text, remember to use quotation marks (Ex: "Blessed are the pure in heart").

Module 4 Research

Module 3: Research:  Find an article or video that teaches you something new about The Song of Roland or The Arabian Nights.  Post it to the Discussion Board.   Explain why you chose the item.  Interact with at least two class members responding to their selections.

** When you respond to classmates, be as specific as you can regarding what you found helpful or interesting about the post. Generic responses (ex: "Great post!" or "This was interesting") will not receive full credit. **

Week 10 Discussion Question 1

This module showcased literature from both the Christian and Muslim world during the time of the first Crusades.  What similarities and differences did you notice between the works? 

Module 3: Reading Quiz 2

Module 3:  Reading Quiz 2: 

Compare  Roland Links to an external site.  to the other epic heroes we have encountered so far in the course, Gilgamesh and Odysseus. 

What characteristics does he share with each of them?

How is he different from them?

Out of the three of them, whom do you feel is the most "heroic"? Why?

- Good answers should be at least one (1) full page in length.

- Support your claims with specific examples from the text. Prove that you did the reading!

Plagiarism Reminder

This quiz should be entirely your own work. Do not copy answers from online sources. If you quote from the text, remember to use quotation marks (Ex "Blessed are the pure in heart")

Task 6. The Arabian Nights Activities

TASK 6. Read through all the Arabian Nights Activities. Then select one of these questions to answer for this Activity, and upload it here.

WORLD LITERATURE I

 

TASK SIX:  Activities for The Arabian Nights

 

Read through the Arabian Nights Study Guide and all of the Activities below before making your selection. Make a copy of the Activity question to begin your response. Post your Activity to JICS, UNIT 3, Forum, Task Six,  Activity 7: Arabian Nights Forum.  These Activity entries must be thoughtful; each one should be the equivalent of at least a full typed page or more in length.  They may be longer if you need to say more on your topic. You will not be able to do these Activity entries properly unless you have carefully read the assigned literature.

Women in the  Nights . Look closely at the character and role of Shahrazad in the main story frame. She is a hero, because she saves her own life and the life of many of her people, yet she lives in a culture where men buy and sell women and cut off their heads when they are displeased. Compare/contrast her to a female character in a story you have read earlier in the semester. Be sure to use plenty of specific detailed examples from both texts to support your ideas, and don't forget to make some interesting points.

Speaking of "off with their heads," look at the way kings behave in the  Nights . They are able to make a poor man rich or a rich man dead on an instant whim. What kind of government do you see operating in the  Nights ? Describe it in as much detail as you can find in the stories you have read. Are there any good points to this kind of government? Any serious problems? Would you want to live there?

Select two or three interesting demons (or jinnis) or other monsters in the   Nights  and compare them to monsters you've met earlier in the course. Can you think of any ways in which they are similar? How are they different? Can you think of any reasons why? Be sure to use plenty of specific examples from the texts to support your ideas.

Compare the attitudes toward that which is foreign, strange and amazing in the  Nights  to the attitudes towards foreigners and differences in  Roland . Which side of the Pyrenees (mountains dividing France from Spain) would you prefer to have lived on in the twelfth century? Why? Please support your choice of location with plenty of specific examples from the two texts.

In the world of the  Nights , there are good, pious demons, and bad, impious demons, but all demons seem to obey certain rules or laws. Explain exactly what kinds of laws/rules demons do seem to obey. Do you have any idea why this is so? Support your position with examples from the stories.

If you are very ambitious, you might want to read or reread "Gawain and the Green Knight," which is in online at  Sir Gawain Links to an external site. , and compare it to "The Story of the Merchant and the Demon" in the  Nights . Both are tales of keeping faith to meet with a magical fellow on New Year's Day who intends to cut off one's head. If you choose this one, I'll leave you to pose your own question and figure out how to answer it in less than a book.

Several stories in the  Nights  give examples of why it is better to be just than to be unjust. Find at least three such examples and explain what is the nature of justice in the  Nights  as you understand it. Give examples, of course, and try to find the point to it all.

Stories in the  Nights  range from the pious to the bawdy. Select one of each and try to see how they belong in the same collection, or do they? Explain and support your position using examples from the stories, not from your own opinions.

Destiny, or fate, or predestination is an important thread running through the stories of the  Nights . This expresses, at least in part, the ideal of a good Muslim, which is to submit to God's will. Select two or three stories that express this idea, compare/ contrast them to one another, and see what conclusions you can draw about the role of destiny in the  Nights . Use specific examples from the stories to support your response.

Compare the idea of destiny in the  Aeneid  to the frequent references to predestination and fate in two or three stories of the  Nights . Do you see any interesting similarities or differences? Explain your insights using a number of specific examples from each text to support your ideas. I suggest starting with reading a good dictionary definition of "destiny." You may copy and cite it in your essay.

The  Nights  is a collection of tales that are organized by means of the frame story of Shahrazad, who is telling stories to save the lives of the other maidens in her country.  The  Odyssey  also uses a frame when Odysseus tells the stories of his wanderings to Nausicaa's folks to persuade them to send him home at last. The  Odyssey , like the  Nights , was told orally for many centuries in one form or another before being finally written down. Compare/contrast the frames in the  Odyssey  and the  Nights.  How does each function? And, so what? Use specific examples from both texts to support your ideas.

Read the selection from the  Koran , Sura 4, "Women," (see the link to the  Koran  on the Course Materials Table on the Course Home Page) and discuss any connections, similarities or differences you see between its precepts and the roles of women as depicted in the Nights. Note: the stance of the Koran toward women was actually quite enlightened for its time. Women, for example, were allowed some property rights, while in the general society of that time, they had none.

There are fascinating parallels between the story of Sharazad and the story of the Biblical  Esther Links to an external site. . Both are clever, beautiful women who live in the courts of oriental despots and must use their wits to save the lives of others. Do a careful, detailed compare/contrast of these two heroines, using plenty of specific details from both stories to support your ideas.

Read  Crescent: a novel  by Diana Abu-Jaber (Norton, 2003). It is a delightful double tale, partly about Iraqi exiles who work and eat at Nadia's Cafe in West Los Angeles--their food, their loves and their longing for their homeland--and partly a magical tale in the spirit of the  Arabian Nights,  but ending up in Hollywood. After enjoying the book, explain in some detail why you think the author included the magical  Arabian Nights  tale along with the more realistic story of Nadia's Cafe in West Los Angeles. What is she drawing from the  Nights  and how does she use it to illuminate what she calls at times the "Arab soul?" Use plenty of specific examples, both from  Crescent  and from the  Nights  to support your ideas.

According to  D. L. Ashliman Links to an external site. , "One of India's most influential contributions to world literature, the  Panchatantra ... consists of five books of animal fables and magic tales (some 87 stories in all) that were compiled, in their current form, between the third and fifth centuries AD. It is believed that even then the stories were already ancient. The tales' self-proclaimed purpose is to educate the sons of royalty." Read a few of these stories and compare them to stories in the  Nights  that are told to heal a mad king. Here is a link to a selection from the  Panchatantra Links to an external site. .

Robert Irwin has written a fascinating riff on the  Arabian Nights  called  The Arabian Nightmare . It tells of a 12th c. English scholar-wanderer who ends up in Cairo under the influence of The Father of Cats who is a corrupt teacher of dreams and sleep. There are many interwoven stories and wonders, including of course talking apes and virgins locked in enclosed gardens. If this interests you, read Irwin's book (I don't know if it is in print, but used copies are easily found on Amazon Marketplace) after reading the selections from the assigned sections of the  Nights.  Then, compare the two sets of stories in some interesting way.

Make up an interesting question of your own that deals with some aspect of the  Nights , and then answer it in fully developed detail. Please run the question by me for a quick response before you go on to write about it. I will not accept such a question unless I have approved it in advance.

Week 9 Discussion Question 1

As you read the selections from The Arabian Nights, how does this reading fall into the canon of the epic hero tales?  Destiny, or fate, or predestination is an important thread running through the stories of the Nights.  Is this idea of destiny, or fate, or predestination apparent in other stories you have read this semester?

NOTE: All discussion posts MUST be at least 250 words and typed in Airel, 12 pt. font and double spaced. 

Module 3: Reading Quiz 1

Unit 3:  Reading Quiz 1:

Read the  Sermon on the Mount Links to an external site. . Then, read the  Song of Roland Links to an external site. .  How far from early Christian ideals have these Christian soldiers in the Song of Roland come?

- Your answer should be about 250 words. 

- Be specific about where in the text you see the soldiers either following or violating the ideals listed in the Sermon. Ideally, shoot for 3-5 example s. 

This answer should be entirely your own work. Do not copy an answer from an online source. If you quote from the assigned texts, don't forget to use quotation marks (ex: "Blessed are the pure in heart").