352:344 American Literature of the 20th Century - Spring 2000
Ehrlich, TuTh6, Conklin 203
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Writing Assignments for 344: American Literature of 20th Century
352: 344 American Literature of the Twentieth Century
In class January 18, 2000What is the most important word, phrase, line, or passage in the poem "Power" (Norton NAAL 5th ed II:2721)? How does the poem connect past and present? What feelings or ideas does the poem produce? Please write a short essay (20 mins).
352: 344 American Literature of the Twentieth Century
Due January 20.Compare the parody of "Howl" in the New York Times of January 18, 2000 (enclos ed) with the original (Norton NAAL, 5th ed, II:2634-41). How does your knowledge of current events and of the original poem combine to make an interesting point? Please discuss this in a paper of 2-3 pages, supporting your main idea with evidence from the texts.
352: 344 American Literature of the Twentieth Century
Due February 8, 2000Write an essay of 2-3 pages supported by evidence which responds to this statement:
"My Antonia" is not a continuous novel but rather a series of episodes and impressions, each of which has a different point of focus."
352:344: Study questions for February 10, 2000: Robert Frost
1. What does Frost's "The Figure a Poem Makes" explain about how he writes? Is there a lesson there in how we might read?
2. Is "The Road Not Taken" a simple parable about commonly held New England beliefs -- or a complicated poem which undermines those beliefs? What's the key supporting evidence for simplicity or complexity in the text?
3. There's a controversy over the two ways of punctuating one line of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In some editions the woods are "lovely, dark, and deep" (with two commas) but in others the woods are "lovely, dark and deep" (with one comma). What difference does the extra comma make? Which version do you prefer?
American Literature 344
344: American Literature of the 20th century Paper, approximately 3-4 pages, Due Thursday, April 6, 2000
Although Faulkner and Williams wrote of different social classes and different time periods, their writing may share a common treatment of Mississippi, where both were raised. What do *As I Lay Dying* and *A Streetcar Named Desire* share in outlook, emotion, use of language, imagery, or character type? Please focus your paper on the one point you find most significant, not a review of your notes or your general knowledge of the subject.
Be sure to support your argument with evidence in the form of quotations from these works and to cite the pages in the Norton anthology. Please do not summarize the works, their lives, the editor's notes, or the class discussion.
American Literature of the 20th Century In class open book essay
Thursday, April 20, 2000Please select one (1) aspect from the list below and discuss both Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and David Mamet's Glengary Glen Ross. Since this as an open book essay, in your discussion please use specific, selected quotes from the texts and cite the page numbers from the Norton Anthology. Please take time to develop some overall point or idea and then use the evidence to support your case.
A. How is the language of ordinary speech used in both plays to achieve vivid characterization and strong dramatic effects?
B. How are memories, dreams, or private lives of individual characters are used as images to make their inner reality seem more important than their external reality?
C. How do the authors use the plays as vehicles for sharp moral, social, or cultural criticism of recent American life and the role of the salesman in it.
Please do not merely summarize the plays, the class discussion, or the editor's introductions. Please focus as much as possible on the one (1) aspect you selected for discussion.