Reading Response AssignmentsInstructions: See the syllabus for detailed information regarding the due dates and points values for these projects. These projects are informal in the sense that I will be looking at content rather than assessing stylistics. You are responsible for correct grammar and spelling, so do proofread your materials, but I am looking primarily for evidence that you have read the material and have thought about it carefully. I expect each response to require about one page of typed, single-spaced material, generally more than 250 words. Select the option below that best suits the text. All projects must be uploaded into Canvas prior to the class session where the material will be covered. Only one may be written and submitted for any given session, and late projects will not be accepted unless youve submitted a printed copy to show me that you attempted to upload (that is, projects are late if submitted after weve moved on to a different text). I generally accept one late project for any student, but bear in mind that the goal of the assignment is for you to write regularly all semester long, NOT for you to submit multiple projects on one text or at the end of the semester. Write early, write often!All Response Papers should include:
Your name
The text you are examining
The specific option you have chosen (and the characters name, if applicable).
The Project Number you assume this one to be (which should match the dropbox into which it was submitted)Your response will entail two paragraphs, each of which is worth 3 points. 4 points are reserved for following the basic format and word count.QUESTION CHOICES(Not all options work well for all textschoose the topic that lets you say the most interesting things. You may write all 6-8 using the same option is you prefer, or you may rotate among options as appropriate. You will, obviously, be responding to specific texts on our syllabus that we have read for this course.)Option One: Hero Analysis Choose a character and assess the nature of his or her heroism. Be sure to indicate which character you are examiningyou need not look only at the central character. (In general, only a human characternot a god or goddesscan function as a hero.)
Paragraph One: What is the nature of this characters heroism? That is, why could the figure be considered a hero? What specific events demonstrate these heroic traits? What strengths and weaknesses does the character exhibit? Do the weaknesses preclude considering the character heroic?
Paragraph Two: What are the cultural conditions that create this character? That is, what do you see in the culture that would make this particular character suit the cultures definition of heroism? (For background data on the cultures, you may use the biographical essays at the beginnings of the selections, or lecture materials, or go to www.wwnorton.com/nawol (Links to an external site.), the website for our textbook [Choose the Third Edition; they dont have one specifically for the Shorter Edition]. However, you may also speak hypothetically, based on a close consideration of the figure of the hero; often the nature of that heroism will reveal aspects of the culture quite clearly.)Alternate Option One: Female Character Choose a female character and consider that character in terms of the definition of a hero. Are the rules of heroism different, now that the figure is a woman? Or are you actually seeing a heroine instead? You could write this project either to argue that a female character is/isnt a hero, or is/isnt a heroine. Just be sure you clarify what stance youre taking on the character. (In general, only a human characternot a god or goddesscan function in these roles, because the rules for divine women are simply too different from the rules for human women.)
Paragraph One: What is the nature of this characters heroism? That is, why could she be considered a hero or a heroine? What specific events demonstrate these heroic traits? What strengths and weaknesses does the character exhibit? Do the weaknesses preclude considering her to be heroic?
Paragraph Two: What are the cultural conditions that create this character? That is, what do you see in the culture that would make this particular character suit the cultures definition of heroism? How does her gender shift the cultures expectations of her, and how well does she fulfil either the general definitions of a hero within that culture or the culturally-specific definitions of ideal womanhood?Option Two: Villain Analysis Examine the nature of the main villains villainy (if applicablenot all texts really have villains)
Paragraph One: What is the nature of this characters villainy? That is, why could the figure be considered a villain? What specific events demonstrate these villainous traits? What strengths and weaknesses does the character exhibit?
Paragraph Two: What are the cultural conditions that create this character? That is, what do you see in the culture that would make this particular character suit the cultures definition of villainy? (See above for sources on culture)Option Three: Textual Analysis Choose a text and assess its source and stylistics.
Paragraph One: What is the original source of the text in question? That is, does it seem to have been originally oral or originally written? What evidence does the text itself contain that identifies such an origin? (Note that Im not looking for you to tell me that the textbook asserts its origins; how is the text different because it is written or oral than it would be were its source different?) If applicable, what evidence do you see of an interaction between its oral and written origins?
Paragraph Two: What aspects of the culture that produced it do you find most evident in this particular text? Which aspects of the culture that the text reveals are most interesting?