Major English Writers 2

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Exam 3 Essay Questions

Due Date

Monday, May 8 (9:00 a.m.)

The essays are due at the beginning of the class period in which the in-class portion of the exam is given, on Monday, May 8. If you submit a draft of an essay response no later than one week before the due date, no later than Monday, May 1, I will give you some written feedback on your draft.

The Essay Questions

For the essay portion of Exam 3, you need to write essay responses to two of the questions below. The questions you address in your essays are up to you.

Joseph Conrad said of Heart of Darkness (1891) that “the interview of the man and the girl [at the end of the novella] locks in . . . the whole 30,000 words” of the story, making it something more than “an anecdote of a man who went mad in the Centre of Africa” (1947). In an essay, explain how the interview with Marlow and Kurtz’ Intended, as Conrad said, “locks in” the whole novella. Identify and explain a few major ideas suggested in the interview scene that are important to the novella as a whole, using supporting evidence both from the interview scene and from earlier passages to develop your response.

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1891) is about darkness and about ways that people deal with darkness. In an essay, and with specific supporting evidence from the novella, explain what Conrad means by the “darkness,” and explain how the novella suggests some of the different ways that people deal with this darkness.
For this option, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1891) is your subject, but the specific approach to the novella, the topic of your essay, is your choice (as long as it is not the same as one of the two options above). For example, you could focus on how colonialism is portrayed in the novella, on how women are portrayed in the story, or on how the story can be read in terms of Jungian psychology. These are just examples. For whatever interpretation you choose, make sure to focus your approach and to support and develop your ideas with plenty of specifics from the story.
Choose any one of the World

Choose any one of the William Butler Yeats poems discussed in class, identify what you think is a major theme of the poem, and analyze the poem to explain how the theme is developed. Make sure to explain the significance and meaning of the details of the poem, and make sure to stay focused on explaining how those details contribute to the development of the major theme that you have identified.

James Joyce’s “The Dead” (2172) is the final story in Dubliners, a collection of stories by Joyce. Of Dubliners, Joyce said, “My intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of my country [Ireland] and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis.” In an essay, explain how the theme of paralysis is developed in Joyce’s “The Dead” (2172).

Each of the stories in James Joyce’s Dubliners, including “Araby” (2168) and “The Dead” (2172), includes an “epiphany,” which is a sudden revelation of truth, usually inspired by a seemingly trivial incident. In an essay, explain the epiphany that either the narrator or “Araby” experiences or the epiphany that Gabriel experiences in “The Dead.” You should explain the epiphany itself, the circumstances leading up to it, and the knowledge that the character seems to gain through the epiphany.

Identify what you think is a major theme of T. S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (2289), and analyze the poem to explain how the theme is developed. Make sure to explain the significance and meaning of the details of the poem, and make sure to stay focused on explaining how those details contribute to the development of the theme that you have identified.

Guidelines and Requirements for Essay Responses

Each response should be in the form of an essay of at least 700 words, with an introduction, a conclusion, and at least three body paragraphs. Note that 700 words is the minimum required length for each essay. The grades will be significantly lowered for essays under the required minimum length.

Essay responses should be word-processed, double spaced, and in 12-point Times New Roman fonts.

course outline

You should assume that your audience had read the work or works of literature that are the subject of your essay but has not studied them as you have. You should explain the relevance and meaning of any material that you quote, paraphrase, or summarize.
Each body paragraph should focus on only one main idea, and the main idea should be expressed clearly in the first sentence of the paragraph, with the rest of the paragraph used to support and develop that idea. In general, a body paragraph should be at least half of a page long (double spaced).

Use specific evidence from the texts to support all aspects of your interpretation, including plenty of quotations and paraphrases, but do not lose your own “voice” by bringing in too many quotations. Avoid long quotations. Present enough evidence to prove that your interpretation is well supported by the text(s), and make sure to explain how the evidence you present logically supports your interpretation. Explain the meaning, significance, and relevance of every quotation that you use in your essay.

To support and develop your ideas, logically and grammatically integrate short quotations into your own sentences: no quotation should be standing alone in an essay.
For poetry, put the line number(s) in parentheses after each quotation in your paper, like this (23-24).

Use a formal writing voice in your essay. Among other things, this means that you should leave out first-person references ("I," "me," "my," etc.), contractions, and informal diction.
Grades for the essay responses will be based on the thesis, organization, support and development of ideas, insight into the subject, clarity, style, and “mechanics” (punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.). The essay responses satisfy the formal writing requirement for the course, so responses need to be written as formal essays that are free or almost free from errors. Proofread carefully.

Please ask if you have any questions about your essay responses, and realize that you can receive additional help with your essays from me and from the staff of the college’s Writing Center. See the Writing Center's Home Page for more information.

Grading Criteria

A—Well-developed and insightful responses with ample support, including both ideas and support discussed in class and original ideas and support. Ideas are well explained and well stated, with no misreadings or unsupported interpretations of the texts. Responses do not contain unnecessary summary. The essay is free or almost free from errors and stylistic weaknesses.

B—Developed and insightful responses with ample support, including both ideas and support discussed in class and original ideas and support. Responses are not as well supported or developed as in an “A” response. Ideas are clearly explained, with no misreadings or unsupported interpretations of the texts. Responses do not contain unnecessary summary. The essay is free or almost free from errors and stylistic weaknesses.

C—Responses developed with some original support, but largely with material discussed in class. Ideas are adequately and clearly explained, with no or almost no misreadings or unsupported interpretations of the text, though support may be lacking for some ideas. Responses may contain some unnecessary summary. The essay is free or almost free from errors and stylistic weaknesses.

F—Responses are brief, with little, if any, support and development. Responses may reveal misreadings of the texts or a misunderstanding of material discussed in class. Responses may include serious lapses in clarity and organization and unnecessary summary. The essay may include excessive errors and stylistic weaknesses. A response that does not address one of the essay questions will receive an “F.”

Of course, ask questions about this assignment if you have any!