English 227: Final Study Guide
Wednesday, March 17th from 11-1pm in HSB-2
For the final, be able to….
1. Define tragedy, and explain why Paradise Lost could be considered a tragedy, citing specific evidence from the text.
2. Explain how the political turmoil of the day (Cromwell, the Restoration) informs Paradise Lost.
3. Indicate some significant events that occurred between 1660 and 1785.
4. Explain what The Royal Society was, and Cavendish’s and Swift’s views of it, as evidenced in their writings.
5. Compare and contrast Swift’s “Stella’s Birthday, 1719” (1180-1181) with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 (741), citing similarities/differences in both content and form.
6. Define satire and explain why “A Modest Proposal” OR Gulliver’s Travels is effective satire.
7. Identify one theme in Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, and show how specific rhetorical devices (alliteration, metaphor, etc.) support this theme.
8. Provide insight into what it might have been like to be a (middle/upper-class) woman in the 18th century, drawing on what you know of the lives of Anne Finch, Lady Montagu, and Mary Wollstonecraft.
9. Summarize the main points of the excerpt you read of Wollstonecraft’s “Vindication.”
10. Describe the historical role Lady Montagu played in eradicating small pox in Britain.
11. Compare and contrast the theme of beauty as it’s developed in Montagu’s “The Small Pox” and Wollstonecraft’s “Vindication.”
12. Be able to compare/contrast two works from the following list – Paradise Lost, New Blazing World, Gulliver’s Travels, or "Essay on Man" – discussing each work’s purpose, and what each work has to say about human nature, given the world it depicts.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Wednesday, March 10th
In-class writing:
Individually, respond to the following quote from “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”: “The conduct and manners of women, in fact, evidently prove that their minds are not in a healthy state; for, like the flowers which are planted in too rich a soil, strength and usefulness are sacrificed to beauty; and the flaunting leaves, after having pleased a fastidious eye, fade, disregarded on the stalk, long before the season when they ought to have arrived at maturity” (112).
Then, in groups, answer the following questions:
1. What facts interested you about Mary Wollstonecraft’s life (pgs. 108-112)? Do you think her circumstances influenced her perspective on education? If so, how?
2. Wollstonecraft says she pays “particular attention to those in the middle class, because they appear to be in the most natural state” (113). What does she mean by this, and do you agree with her assertion?
3. What does Wollstonecraft mean when she says, “The soft phrases, susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste are almost synonymous with epithets of weakness, and that those beings who are only the objects of pity and that kind of love, which has been termed its sister, will soon become objects of contempt” (114).
4. What does she say about the style in which she will write her “Vindication” – and her reasons for choosing it?
5. In summary, Wollstonecraft asserts that women have been taught “by the example of their mothers” (116) to fulfill a specific societal role. What is this role? In contrast, what is Wollstonecraft’s vision for what women can and should be?
6. What inconsistencies does Wollstonecraft see in Milton?
7. Do you feel this essay is still relevant in the 21st century? Why or why not?
Groups:
1) Lydia, Brenda, Surayya
2) Inessa, Jess, Melanie, Kathleen (Xiaoxi)
3) Frank, Becca, AJ, Jacqui
4) Kaitlyn, Hillery, Ashley
5) Sean, Janna, Mikenna, Melissa
Individually, respond to the following quote from “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”: “The conduct and manners of women, in fact, evidently prove that their minds are not in a healthy state; for, like the flowers which are planted in too rich a soil, strength and usefulness are sacrificed to beauty; and the flaunting leaves, after having pleased a fastidious eye, fade, disregarded on the stalk, long before the season when they ought to have arrived at maturity” (112).
Then, in groups, answer the following questions:
1. What facts interested you about Mary Wollstonecraft’s life (pgs. 108-112)? Do you think her circumstances influenced her perspective on education? If so, how?
2. Wollstonecraft says she pays “particular attention to those in the middle class, because they appear to be in the most natural state” (113). What does she mean by this, and do you agree with her assertion?
3. What does Wollstonecraft mean when she says, “The soft phrases, susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste are almost synonymous with epithets of weakness, and that those beings who are only the objects of pity and that kind of love, which has been termed its sister, will soon become objects of contempt” (114).
4. What does she say about the style in which she will write her “Vindication” – and her reasons for choosing it?
5. In summary, Wollstonecraft asserts that women have been taught “by the example of their mothers” (116) to fulfill a specific societal role. What is this role? In contrast, what is Wollstonecraft’s vision for what women can and should be?
6. What inconsistencies does Wollstonecraft see in Milton?
7. Do you feel this essay is still relevant in the 21st century? Why or why not?
Groups:
1) Lydia, Brenda, Surayya
2) Inessa, Jess, Melanie, Kathleen (Xiaoxi)
3) Frank, Becca, AJ, Jacqui
4) Kaitlyn, Hillery, Ashley
5) Sean, Janna, Mikenna, Melissa
Tuesday, March 9th
Today’s Agenda:
Listen to NPR story about Lady Montagu
In-class writing: Letters give us insight into the personal lives of authors, monarchs, etc., often offering a different perspective than their more formal works. Given that letter writing has become somewhat obsolete, having been replaced by e-mail, texting, etc., where do you think future generations will obtain such insights?
In-class writing: What is the tone of “The Small-Pox”? Cite 3 quotes from the poem to support your answer. Select one from stanzas 1-4, one from stanzas 5-7, and one from stanzas 8-10. How do you feel about the narrator after reading this poem? Explain.
Listen to NPR story about Mary Wollstonecraft
Listen to NPR story about Lady Montagu
In-class writing: Letters give us insight into the personal lives of authors, monarchs, etc., often offering a different perspective than their more formal works. Given that letter writing has become somewhat obsolete, having been replaced by e-mail, texting, etc., where do you think future generations will obtain such insights?
In-class writing: What is the tone of “The Small-Pox”? Cite 3 quotes from the poem to support your answer. Select one from stanzas 1-4, one from stanzas 5-7, and one from stanzas 8-10. How do you feel about the narrator after reading this poem? Explain.
Listen to NPR story about Mary Wollstonecraft
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, March 8: Anne Finch and Lady Montagu
Today, we'll focus on Anne Finch and Lady Montagu (whom you may remember from our presentation on women writers earlier in the quarter!) After a short presentation, please answer the following questions about Anne Finch's poems:
1) Is Finch's portrayal of Adam/Eve closer to Lanyer's or Milton's? Explain.
2) What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
3) What is the meter of this poem? (See handout, Tips for Scanning Poetry)
4) Why do you think Finch chose to write "Friendship between Ephelia and Ardelia" as a dialogue? How does it impact your reading of the poem?
5) Read "Life's Progress" and briefly outline the stages of life; which stage does Finch seem to prefer? (Cite evidence from the poem to support your answer.) Also, discuss some of the metaphors Finch uses as well as their significance.
Pisgah = the mountain in the Bible from which Moses saw the Promised Land for the first time
Groups:
1) Lydia, Brenda, Surayya
2) Inessa, Jess, Melanie
3) Frank, Becca, AJ, Jacqui
4) Kaitlyn, Hillery, Ashley
5) Jordan, Janna, Mikenna
1) Is Finch's portrayal of Adam/Eve closer to Lanyer's or Milton's? Explain.
2) What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
3) What is the meter of this poem? (See handout, Tips for Scanning Poetry)
4) Why do you think Finch chose to write "Friendship between Ephelia and Ardelia" as a dialogue? How does it impact your reading of the poem?
5) Read "Life's Progress" and briefly outline the stages of life; which stage does Finch seem to prefer? (Cite evidence from the poem to support your answer.) Also, discuss some of the metaphors Finch uses as well as their significance.
Pisgah = the mountain in the Bible from which Moses saw the Promised Land for the first time
Groups:
1) Lydia, Brenda, Surayya
2) Inessa, Jess, Melanie
3) Frank, Becca, AJ, Jacqui
4) Kaitlyn, Hillery, Ashley
5) Jordan, Janna, Mikenna
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, March 5th
Today, groups met to work on presentations, and individuals conducted research related to their final papers. We'll be back in HSB-2 Monday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, March 4th
Today, first finish these four questions from yesterday:
Alexander Pope Questions:
What is the author's stated or implied purpose for writing this work?
What are the key features of the world in which the character(s) find themselves?
What is the author saying about human nature through his portrayal?
How did the time in which the author lived inform his vision?
Then, choose one word (love, soul, reason, innocence) and....
1) Define it (in your own words). It may have multiple definitions.
The format for a definition: Word to be defined + is + general class + the quality which makes it unique
Example: rhythm is a movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.
2) Then find examples of its usage in the works we've read this quarter. See Johnson's dictionary on pgs. 1394-1398 for an example.
Alexander Pope Questions:
What is the author's stated or implied purpose for writing this work?
What are the key features of the world in which the character(s) find themselves?
What is the author saying about human nature through his portrayal?
How did the time in which the author lived inform his vision?
Then, choose one word (love, soul, reason, innocence) and....
1) Define it (in your own words). It may have multiple definitions.
The format for a definition: Word to be defined + is + general class + the quality which makes it unique
Example: rhythm is a movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.
2) Then find examples of its usage in the works we've read this quarter. See Johnson's dictionary on pgs. 1394-1398 for an example.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 3rd
Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"
Setting the tone (stanzas 1-3)- “knell” (line 1), “weary way” (line 3), “solemn stillness” (line 6), “complain” (in this context, to express sorrow) – (line 10)
Themes
Mourning - (Stanzas 1-3)
The inevitability/permanence of death – “The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,/No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed” (lines 19-20).
Death as the great equalizer – “The paths of glory lead but to the grave” (line 36).
The forces that shape a person’s life – “Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone/Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined” (lines 65-66)
Unrealized potential – “Some village-Hampden that with dauntless breast/The little tyrant of his fields withstood;/Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,/Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood” (lines 57-60).
Respect for the unhonored dead – “Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,/Their homely joys, and destiny obscure/Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile,/The short and simple annals of the poor” (lines 29-32); “For thee, who mindful of th’ unhonored dead” (line 93).
Interconnectedness: All manner of inanimate things and concepts (death, time, knowledge) are participating and even conversing with the author.
Literary devices
Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd efef etc.
Meter – iambic pentameter
Personification – “The moping owl does to the moon complain” (line 10); Can Honor’s voice provoke the silent dust” (line 43).
Alliteration – “pomp of power” (line 33) “shapeless sculpture” (line 79)
Symbolism – “Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire” (line 46)
Analogy – “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,/And waste its sweetness on the desert air” (lines 55-56)
Alexander Pope
Biographical information - p. 1239
Questions:
What is the author's stated or implied purpose for writing this work?
What are the key features of the world in which the character(s) find themselves?
What is the author saying about human nature through his portrayal?
How did the time in which the author lived inform his vision?
Setting the tone (stanzas 1-3)- “knell” (line 1), “weary way” (line 3), “solemn stillness” (line 6), “complain” (in this context, to express sorrow) – (line 10)
Themes
Mourning - (Stanzas 1-3)
The inevitability/permanence of death – “The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,/No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed” (lines 19-20).
Death as the great equalizer – “The paths of glory lead but to the grave” (line 36).
The forces that shape a person’s life – “Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone/Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined” (lines 65-66)
Unrealized potential – “Some village-Hampden that with dauntless breast/The little tyrant of his fields withstood;/Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,/Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood” (lines 57-60).
Respect for the unhonored dead – “Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,/Their homely joys, and destiny obscure/Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile,/The short and simple annals of the poor” (lines 29-32); “For thee, who mindful of th’ unhonored dead” (line 93).
Interconnectedness: All manner of inanimate things and concepts (death, time, knowledge) are participating and even conversing with the author.
Literary devices
Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd efef etc.
Meter – iambic pentameter
Personification – “The moping owl does to the moon complain” (line 10); Can Honor’s voice provoke the silent dust” (line 43).
Alliteration – “pomp of power” (line 33) “shapeless sculpture” (line 79)
Symbolism – “Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire” (line 46)
Analogy – “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,/And waste its sweetness on the desert air” (lines 55-56)
Alexander Pope
Biographical information - p. 1239
Questions:
What is the author's stated or implied purpose for writing this work?
What are the key features of the world in which the character(s) find themselves?
What is the author saying about human nature through his portrayal?
How did the time in which the author lived inform his vision?
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