-Please answer all 5 of the questions below. The fifth question requires a slightly longer essay
response and is cumulative (covers everything from the beginning of this course) as is required
by Union University.
-Each answer should use the following formula (Assertion, Evidence, Commentary).
-First, make an assertion (a statement in your own words that posits the point you
want to make). This can be 1-2 sentences.
-Then, cite from the text a quote that supports your assertion. Quotes must have
proper MLA in-text citations which is author’s last name and page number and the quoted
portion should be in quotation marks.
Ex. “Stand up, children” (Sophocles 711).
-Finally, justify the quote by explaining in your own words how it supports the
assertion. This should be at least two sentences.
Here is an example of what an answer might look like if the question were as
follows:
Example Question: As is common in many ancient epics, women play an extremely
important role in the development of plot and in shaping the actions of the male
characters. Give one example of an important female role in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Example Answer: Although a minor character in the story, the prostitute Shamhat plays
a very important role in the epic tale. They ask her to give of herself to tame the wild
beast Enkidu and she does so without hesitation. The hunter take Shamhat to Enkidu and
tells her to “open your embrace, open your embrace, let him take your
charms!” (Gilgamesh 103). By doing so, she tames Enkidu. As a result, the wild beasts no
longer welcome him and he must then turn to Gilgamesh as a friend. Thus, Shamhat’s
actions set-up the action for the rest of the epic tale.
This was just a sample question. The actual 5 questions begin on the next page!
1. Joseph Conrad famously described the task of a writer as “before all, to make you see”. His
works exemplify this idea by stressing the visual perception of reality. His technique of
registering the way that a scene appears to an individual before explaining the scene’s contents
has been described as “delayed decoding”; it is an element of his literary impressionism, his
emphasis on how the mind processes the information that the senses provide. In Heart of
Darkness, Conrad records first the impressions that an event makes on Marlow and only later
Marlow’s arrival at an explanation of the event. Cite an example from the text that shows this
method of “delayed decoding”. Explain in your own words how the quote describes Marlow’s
impressions of an event before explaining it.
2. One of Woolf’s major themes is society’s different attitudes toward men and toward women.
In “A Room of One’s Own”, she examines the history of literature written by women and offers
an impassioned plea that women writers be given conditions equal to those available for men;
specifically, the privacy of a room in which to write and economic independence. Cite two
examples from the text that describe this plea for equal conditions. Explain in your own words
how each quote shows this plea.
3. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, begun while Eliot was in college and published in
1915, displays the evocative yet confounding images, abrupt shifts in focus, and combination of
human sympathy and ironic wit that would attract and puzzle readers of his later works. Cite two
examples from the poem that exemplify this combination of sympathy and wit. Explain in your
own words how each quote is an example of both.
4. The Nobel Prize conferred recognition on Beckett as the purest exponent of the twentieth-
century’s chief philosophical dilemma: the notion of the “absurd” or the contradiction between
human attempts to discover meaning in life and the simultaneous conviction that no “meaning”
exists that we have not created ourselves. “Endgame” is a prime example of this dilemma. Cite
two examples from the text that exemplify this dilemma of finding meaning in a meaningless
world. Explain in your own words how each example shows this dilemma.
5. Write a short essay (1-2 pages) that explores how social context influences an author’s work.
In other words, how do the real-world political, religious, or social events taking place and/or the
author’s own political, religious, or social viewpoint affect the story and message of a literary
work. You may discuss as few or as many of the selections read throughout this course, but you
must include at least four citations from the text. Write your essay using the same AEC
(Assertion, Evidence, Commentary) format as you have used for the other questions. Make sure
to include transitions between examples (Another example, In addition, Furthermore) so that
your essay flows properly. Don’t forget to include in-text citation information (author’s last name
and page number) after each quote. Use standard MLA format (Times New Roman, 12 pt font,
double-spaced).
