YOU CAN PICK ONE TOPIC FROM THE TOPICS Eng 208 / World Lit. 1 Essay 2 Topics N

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YOU CAN PICK ONE TOPIC FROM THE TOPICS
Eng 208 / World Lit. 1
Essay 2 Topics
Note: Please review the formatting and quotation guidelines in the Essay 1 assignment. In addition, when citing poetry quotations, insert the usual parenthetical references, but use line numbers instead of page numbers, e.g., (l. 3) or (ll. 3-5). When citing quotes from a play, use act / scene / line numbers, e.g. (1.3.12-15).
Page minimum: 4 pp. double-spaced; MLA formatting.
As always, your key points should be liberally supported by brief quotations from the text. Do not use direct quotations from the relevant Course Lessons. However, if you want to paraphrase from a Lesson, feel free to do so without citing your source. No outside sources are required for this essay, but if you do consult and quote (or paraphrase) from such a source, you must create a Works Cited page at the end of the essay, following the usual MLA guidelines for citing sources.
Topic #1: In Lesson 2 we noted that the account of Noah and the Flood in the book of Genesis (Chps. 6-9) is more than likely derived in part from an earlier Babylonian flood myth, which itself is a variant on a Sumerian flood narrative that dates back to the 3rd millennium B.C. The tale of the Flood narrated by Utnapishtim in Gilgamesh is Babylonian in origin. In a general way, one can easily pick out certain similarities between the Genesis and Gilgamesh versions of the tale, but it is the differences that, for present purposes, most concern us. In your essay, provide a comparative analysis of the Gilgamesh and Genesis versions. Concentrate on the following questions: 1) What are the highlights of the Flood myth as narrated by Utnapishtim in Gilgamesh? 2) What are the highlights or most important features of the Flood myth as narrated in Genesis? 3) Where does the Genesis account differ most significantly? 4) While both in versions of the myth the Flood is caused by divine powers, the motive of the gods (or God) is very different. What is the significance (moral and theological) of this striking difference in motives? 5) Even more striking is the way that the conclusions of the two narratives diverge. How does the story of the rainbow and of the covenant that God makes with Noah set the Genesis version apart (again, moral and theologically) from the Gilgamesh account? 6) Some would argue that these differences make the Genesis version a more profound and morally (or spiritually) relevant account of the Flood than the one in Gilgamesh. To what extend do you agree or disagree?
Topic #2: As we have seen in the Course Lesson on Job, that Old Testament book is probably not intended to be understood as a literal history, but a largely fictitious theological fable, the purpose of which is to raise questions about the validity of the concept of “retributive justice.” [Make sure that you have read the relevant material in the Lesson on this concept, i.e., retributive justice.] In your essay, examine what the book of Job may have to say to us about the nature of justice, and, more particularly, the capacity of humans to comprehend God’s purposes. Consider the following questions: 1) What is the nature of the “wager” between God and Satan at the beginning of Job? 2) How should we understand Satan’s role in this story? 3) What kind of suffering does Job endure prior to the opening of the series of dialogs with his three friends, and what is his initial reaction to that suffering? 4) In the first dialog, or exchange, what is the substance of Eliphaz’s accusations against Job, and what is Job’s response? 5) In the second exchange, what does Bildad have to say to Job, and what is Job’s response? 6) In the third exchange, what is the nature of Zophar’s indictment of Job, and how does Job answer him? 7) What is the significance of the image of the Leviathan in Job’s long speech toward the end of the dialogs? 8) What is most significant in God’s own response to Job and the “friends”? 9) What seems to be the book of Job’s verdict on the idea of retributive justice? (By the way, make sure that in your intro. to topic #3 you include a working definition of retributive justice.)
Topic #4: In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, the first half of the drama builds suspense (and arouses fear, in the Aristotelian sense) chiefly through the use of tragic irony, which in this case involves both verbal and situational irony. In your essay, isolate as many examples of irony as you can find (working your way through the scenes chronologically), demonstrating how they function within the dramatic context to build suspense and arouse that fear which Aristotle claimed was an essentially psychological element in a well-constructed tragedy. (See the discussion of this Lesson 8.) Focus especially on Clytemnestra’s dialogues with the Watchman, the Chorus (particularly with the Leader of the Chorus), and her speeches during the crucial scene of Agamemnon’s arrival (the “red carpet” scene). Consider also how the symbolism of the red carpet functions both ironically and dramatically to foreshadow the events which follow.
Topic #5: Early in Shakespeare’s Hamlet the Ghost warns Hamlet that in seeking his revenge he must not “taint” his mind (1.5.85). We may take “taint” to mean “corrupt,” in the broadest sense of the word. In short, the Ghost is seemingly warning Hamlet not to lose his moral compass. In your essay consider whether Hamlet is able to follow the Ghost’s advice. Does his mind remain untainted, or does he, as his quest for revenge progresses, become so consumed with his mission that he becomes a danger and a menace even to those who bear no responsibility for his father’s murder? In assessing Hamlet’s sanity or degree of moral corruption (if any) consider esp. his confrontations with Ophelia his mother, as well as Polonius. Does he bear any responsibility for the deaths of Ophelia and Polonius? Keep in mind two factors: One is that some part of Hamlet’s “madness” may be an act. Another is that, as many playgoers and readers have noticed, Hamlet seems noticeably changed, possibly for the better, after his voyage at sea (and narrow escape from death). Finally, if you conclude that Hamlet’s mind does become morally tainted by his thirst for revenge, you will need to assess another question: To what degree does he remain a genuinely “tragic” figure?
Topic #6: Thomas More’s Utopia describes a fictional 16th century society set on a remote island in a distant part of the world, though it is presented by the narrator Hythloday as if it were a real place. While it is unclear how much of the practices and beliefs of the Utopians More himself would have endorsed, Hythloday (who is a purely fictional speaker / traveler) in Book 2 clearly upholds Utopian society as one worthy of emulation. Do you agree with Hythloday? Is Utopian society in some ways a model worth of imitation? In your essay, choose at least four aspects of Utopian practice and belief and assess their value for the modern world (looking at both pros and cons). If you feel that some aspects of Utopian society are more valuable than others, your thesis statement should reflect that view. Some of the more important aspects of Utopia that you might examine would include the following: 1) Utopian political arrangements; 2) Utopian views of private property—including the practice of communal agriculture—and wealth; 3) their views of marriage and divorce; 4) their religious tolerance and its limits; and 5) their views on war and peace. Remember that some of the topics on this list might require more than one body paragraph.

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