Comp. Lit. 30b, Homework #2 (option 2)
Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World
Due: Tuesday, November 24th

[Please check with your section instructor to see whether he/she prefers that you send the homework through email or leave a hard copy in the departmental mailbox.]

Reminder: if you did not write your second homework on Calderón’s Life is a Dream, you must complete this assignment.

Instructions: The first homework assignment was designed to help you think about how to construct an essay. For this assignment, you will write a short response essay of no more than two pagesabout The Blazing World. The goal: to persuade your T.A. that your point of view makes sense.

A few things to keep in mind:
? You do not need to write a lengthy introductory paragraph. It’s enough to state your idea clearly so your reader knows what to expect.
? In the “body” paragraphs, be sure to avoid plot summaries. Your T.A. is familiar with the text. Use quotes or just refer to those details (through direct quotes or paraphrasing) that directly support your position and help you make a point.
? You also do not need a substantial concluding paragraph.
? It is always a good idea to make an outline before you begin writing.
? Format: one-inch margins, 12 pt. font, double-spaced.
? Include a title page with your name and a title.
? Feel free to contact me or your T.A. if you have questions!

Choose one of these topics or propose your own:
[Remember: you don’t have to answer all the questions in the prompt, they are just there to help you start thinking about the topic].

“Animal-men”
The Blazing World is filled with hybrid, hyphenated creatures: bear-men, bird-men, worm-men, etc. If you choose this topic, think about how Cavendish portrays the human and animal aspects of these creatures. What place to they have in society? What point(s) of view do they represent? Is there a reason why only men seem to be animal hybrids? And are they “hybrid” in the same way we discussed in the context of Life is a Dream, or do you think their hybridity functions differently? (You can also use a quote from Life is a Dream as a point of reference).It is fine to focus on just one of these groups, like the bear-men, and to discuss a passage or two, which you think, provides the most useful information.
Here are a few suggestions for passages that might be useful if you write on this topic:
– Pages 127-8 (the Lady’s first encounter with the creatures of The Blazing World – could be compared with Rosaura’s first encounter with Segismund!)
– pages 133-4 (general introduction to the inhabitants of The Blazing World; starting with the sentence: “The rest of the inhabitants of that world…)
– pages 140-144 (the bird-men and the bear-men – we will discuss these two groups in lecture on Tuesday)

2.Animals and Microscopes

If you choose this topic, you will want to focus on pages 142-145, where the Bear-men bring out the microscopes and proceed to show the Lady several strange things – including little animals which have become magnified. Think about how the Lady reacts to what she is seeing. Why does she find these observations so unsettling? What might she mean when she describes these images as “monstrous”? What kind of criticism does she make of the microscope? I will include a few extra images on Gauchospace, which we will also be looking at in Tuesday’s lecture (Robert Hooke’s drawings of the flea and the louse from his Micrographia. If you want to, you can refer to these images when you write your response.

Comp. Lit. 30b, Homework #2 (option 2)
Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World
Due: Tuesday, November 24th

[Please check with your section instructor to see whether he/she prefers that you send the homework through email or leave a hard copy in the departmental mailbox.]

Reminder: if you did not write your second homework on Calderón’s Life is a Dream, you must complete this assignment.

Instructions: The first homework assignment was designed to help you think about how to construct an essay. For this assignment, you will write a short response essay of no more than two pagesabout The Blazing World. The goal: to persuade your T.A. that your point of view makes sense.

A few things to keep in mind:
? You do not need to write a lengthy introductory paragraph. It’s enough to state your idea clearly so your reader knows what to expect.
? In the “body” paragraphs, be sure to avoid plot summaries. Your T.A. is familiar with the text. Use quotes or just refer to those details (through direct quotes or paraphrasing) that directly support your position and help you make a point.
? You also do not need a substantial concluding paragraph.
? It is always a good idea to make an outline before you begin writing.
? Format: one-inch margins, 12 pt. font, double-spaced.
? Include a title page with your name and a title.
? Feel free to contact me or your T.A. if you have questions!

Choose one of these topics or propose your own:
[Remember: you don’t have to answer all the questions in the prompt, they are just there to help you start thinking about the topic].

“Animal-men”
The Blazing World is filled with hybrid, hyphenated creatures: bear-men, bird-men, worm-men, etc. If you choose this topic, think about how Cavendish portrays the human and animal aspects of these creatures. What place to they have in society? What point(s) of view do they represent? Is there a reason why only men seem to be animal hybrids? And are they “hybrid” in the same way we discussed in the context of Life is a Dream, or do you think their hybridity functions differently? (You can also use a quote from Life is a Dream as a point of reference).It is fine to focus on just one of these groups, like the bear-men, and to discuss a passage or two, which you think, provides the most useful information.
Here are a few suggestions for passages that might be useful if you write on this topic:
– Pages 127-8 (the Lady’s first encounter with the creatures of The Blazing World – could be compared with Rosaura’s first encounter with Segismund!)
– pages 133-4 (general introduction to the inhabitants of The Blazing World; starting with the sentence: “The rest of the inhabitants of that world…)
– pages 140-144 (the bird-men and the bear-men – we will discuss these two groups in lecture on Tuesday)

2.Animals and Microscopes

If you choose this topic, you will want to focus on pages 142-145, where the Bear-men bring out the microscopes and proceed to show the Lady several strange things – including little animals which have become magnified. Think about how the Lady reacts to what she is seeing. Why does she find these observations so unsettling? What might she mean when she describes these images as “monstrous”? What kind of criticism does she make of the microscope? I will include a few extra images on Gauchospace, which we will also be looking at in Tuesday’s lecture (Robert Hooke’s drawings of the flea and the louse from his Micrographia. If you want to, you can refer to these images when you write your response.

Comp. Lit. 30b, Homework #2 (option 2)
Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World
Due: Tuesday, November 24th

[Please check with your section instructor to see whether he/she prefers that you send the homework through email or leave a hard copy in the departmental mailbox.]

Reminder: if you did not write your second homework on Calderón’s Life is a Dream, you must complete this assignment.

Instructions: The first homework assignment was designed to help you think about how to construct an essay. For this assignment, you will write a short response essay of no more than two pagesabout The Blazing World. The goal: to persuade your T.A. that your point of view makes sense.

A few things to keep in mind:
? You do not need to write a lengthy introductory paragraph. It’s enough to state your idea clearly so your reader knows what to expect.
? In the “body” paragraphs, be sure to avoid plot summaries. Your T.A. is familiar with the text. Use quotes or just refer to those details (through direct quotes or paraphrasing) that directly support your position and help you make a point.
? You also do not need a substantial concluding paragraph.
? It is always a good idea to make an outline before you begin writing.
? Format: one-inch margins, 12 pt. font, double-spaced.
? Include a title page with your name and a title.
? Feel free to contact me or your T.A. if you have questions!

Choose one of these topics or propose your own:
[Remember: you don’t have to answer all the questions in the prompt, they are just there to help you start thinking about the topic].

“Animal-men”
The Blazing World is filled with hybrid, hyphenated creatures: bear-men, bird-men, worm-men, etc. If you choose this topic, think about how Cavendish portrays the human and animal aspects of these creatures. What place to they have in society? What point(s) of view do they represent? Is there a reason why only men seem to be animal hybrids? And are they “hybrid” in the same way we discussed in the context of Life is a Dream, or do you think their hybridity functions differently? (You can also use a quote from Life is a Dream as a point of reference).It is fine to focus on just one of these groups, like the bear-men, and to discuss a passage or two, which you think, provides the most useful information.
Here are a few suggestions for passages that might be useful if you write on this topic:
– Pages 127-8 (the Lady’s first encounter with the creatures of The Blazing World – could be compared with Rosaura’s first encounter with Segismund!)
– pages 133-4 (general introduction to the inhabitants of The Blazing World; starting with the sentence: “The rest of the inhabitants of that world…)
– pages 140-144 (the bird-men and the bear-men – we will discuss these two groups in lecture on Tuesday)

2.Animals and Microscopes

If you choose this topic, you will want to focus on pages 142-145, where the Bear-men bring out the microscopes and proceed to show the Lady several strange things – including little animals which have become magnified. Think about how the Lady reacts to what she is seeing. Why does she find these observations so unsettling? What might she mean when she describes these images as “monstrous”? What kind of criticism does she make of the microscope? I will include a few extra images on Gauchospace, which we will also be looking at in Tuesday’s lecture (Robert Hooke’s drawings of the flea and the louse from his Micrographia. If you want to, you can refer to these images when you write your response.