The test consists of you writing two essay responses to two of the following themes. As you will see, the themes are broad, so a big part of your response involves you creating a clear, specific thesis about the theme you have chosen. For each essay, I would like you to discuss the theme and pursue the thesis in relation to two of the works that we have discussed in class. And so, I would like you to discuss two texts for each essay, e.g. one on exile and loss in Nabokov’s Speak, Memory and Blok’s ‘The Stranger,’ or one on exile and loss in Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago and Akhmatova’s ‘Dante,’ etc. We have covered a number of works by different writers over the course of the term, so your range is quite open in regards to what you can choose from them.
Essay #1 – 50% and approximately 1,250 words in length
Essay #2 – 50% and approximately 1,250 words in length
Here are the themes:
Power and Powerlessness
Exile and Loss
Submission and Resistance
Tyranny and Liberty
The Corruption of Society
The Individual
Love and Hatred
The Role of Class
The Family
Generational Conflict
Art and Life
Education
Politics and Art
Justice and Injustice
Literature and History
For example, you might look at the theme of resistance in Mandelstam and Akhmatova, the relationship between art and life in Pasternak and Nabokov, the theme of politics and art in Bulgakov and Nabokov, etc. Some of these responses will inevitably be ‘compare and contrast’ in structure; when it comes to such essays, structure your paper in terms of ideas instead of discussing one work for half the essay and another work for the other half. As with your previous essays, you must use proper essay structure: a clear introductory paragraph that closes with a specific, strong thesis; paragraphs organized around topics that support your thesis and that are structured in a clear, logical way; a sense of transition from point to point; evidence from the text that supports your thesis and/or supporting points; and, finally, a strong conclusion.
For the essays, you should use your books, as I would like you to quote directly from the primary texts. As with previous essays, points will be gained or lost on the basis of how you use the texts to support your argument. While you do not need to make use of the kind of critical secondary material that you used for Essay 3, you can quote from the lectures as a potential secondary source. As with previous essays, points will be gained or lost on the basis of how you use the texts to support your argument. Be sure to include the bibliographic information for the texts (print or online) that you have used at the end of the exam document.
