Final Exam Study Guide
Part 1
In addition to re-familiarizing yourself with the works on the syllabus, study the intros to each writer in the 20th Century, beginning with Conrad.
Sample question:
The intro to Joseph Conrad claims that his “psychologically laden symbolism” is a “modern narrative strategy.” Discuss how the Africans in Heart of Darkness figure as psychological symbols.
Part 2
Thomas Hardy’s “Hap” (1932)
D. H. Lawrence’s “How Beastly the Bourgeois Is” (2516)
Interpretation Paper
Compare two poems by different poets
Length: 4-5 pages
The poems must be in the Norton Anthology, and neither should be more than 50 lines long. They should both deal with the same theme, which will be the subject of your study.
Your essay must offer your opinion about how the two poems either agree or disagree about the chosen theme. You will include a thesis that summarizes your assertion in this regard, and your paper will consist of arguments, grounded in evidence from the texts, that persuade skeptical readers to agree with you. The successful paper will use arguments that depend upon the skills of close reading that we’ve been practicing all semester.
You do not need to do research for this paper. In fact, I highly recommend that you do not consult the interpretations of other critics. If you do, you will need to cite those critics according the MLA guidelines.
Proposal:
Turn in through OAKS by midnight, 29 October, a document that
- names your two poems
- identifies the theme you want to discuss
- paraphrases each poem in their entirety
Midterm Study guide
Part 1: Literary history
The Romantic Period, pp. 3-20
The Victorian Age, pp. 1017-1035
intros to each author
familiarity with the poems on the syllabus
Part 2: Close reading
Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” p. 776
Arnold’s “The Buried Life,” pp. 1377-1379
Explication Paper
Due date: 24 September
Write an explication of the Coleridge’s “Lime Tree Bower.” An explication is an interpretation that considers a poem section by section. You will decide what a section is, though it might be logical to follow grammatical divisions (sentence by sentence, for example) and/or structural divisions (such as stanza by stanza). You should begin your explication with a summary of the literal level of the poem: who is the speaker and the listener, and what is the rhetorical situation. Then interpret metaphors, symbols, patterns of images, etc. in each section. All of these will serve a concluding summary interpretation of the poem’s meaning.
The paper should be two to three pages long. This is your opportunity to display your skills of close reading–take advantage of it!