DB 5A

ENG 325 Week 5 Unit A: Hugo and Balzac

1. Discussion board (200 words)

Reading:

Victor Hugo:  "A Fight With a Cannon"

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/fightcan.htm

Honore de Balzac: "A Passion in the Desert"

http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/pitdbalz.html

Discussion question:

In Hugo’s story the sea (Nature) is identified as an antagonist; in Balzac’s story, Nature/antagonist is the panther.  How do these two authors treat the conflict between Man and Nature differently?  Use specific examples from the texts.

2. Weekly wiki (150 words).

Students will choose a short excerpt / quote from one of the readings of that week, type it in, then add a short (150 words or so) explanation for your choice. Was your selection important because it:

· is an example of beautiful or striking language?

· exemplifies a particular theme or character?

· makes the reader think about something in a new way?

· is typically "American" in some way (and in what way)?

· was just something that you liked?

Try not to use the same quote that someone else already has; if you must, make sure that what you say about it is original.

For example:

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."  Thomas Paine.  

I chose this quote because I think it is a good example of Enlightenment thought which was very popular during the late 1700's.  Paine is rejecting formal ties to any specific country or any particular religion (humanist world view).  He is focused on the here and now, not an afterlife, and this concern is evident in his writing about social and political systems that influenced the thinkers behind the American Revolution.  The language is simple and straightforward.

3. Write responses for another student’s work. (75 words)

It was interesting to watch the struggle between philosophical ideologies in Candide.  On one side is Pangloss’ optimism.  On the other side is Martin’s pessimism.  Cacambo serves as the voice of reason somewhere in the middle.  Candide accepts Pangloss’ optimism at the outset of the story.  Being young and inexperienced, he has no reason to believe otherwise.  After being thrown out of his ancestral home by his uncle, Candide’s naivete leads him from one misfortune to the next as he travels the world.  By the end of the story, Candide rejects the idea that eveything works out for the best, instead coming to believe that people should “tend their garden”. 

We see the negative aspects of extreme optimism throughout the story as Candide runs into one problem after another.  This is most evident in situations in which Candide doesn’t realize that people don’t always behave honorably and don’t always have good intentions.  The positive that comes out of Candide’s optimism is that it keeps him moving forwarded.  Unlike Martin, he hasn’t given up.  Martin spends his time stewing in his bad luck and predicting what new bad luck will befall them.  The positive aspects of this is that Martin is never surprised or disappointed when things go wrong.