Final Examination: Essay Portion

2310.251, Spring 2021

Choose ONE (AND ONLY ONE) of the following two prompts as the basis for an organized, logical, accurate, well-detailed, and clearly written essay of at least 500 and no more than 700 words. Be careful not to oversimplify complex influences and ideas. The final examination opens at noon, Monday, May 3; it closes at the end of the scheduled time for the final examination, Thursday, May 6, 1:30 pm. Submit the completed essay on Canvas no later than 10 pm, Saturday, April 17: there will be no extension of the submission period.

The essay should have a brief introduction that includes a sentence that is the essay’s thesis — that is, what you will be writing about and your purpose/conclusion in writing it. (Note: developing a specific thesis will help keep on track if you wander from your original idea as you write; the thesis also gives your readers a preview of what you will do in the essay). The body of the essay should support the claim(s) made in the thesis by explaining how relevant evidence and your explanation of that evidence support that thesis. Include also a brief conclusion (even a single sentence) that ties together what has been discussed in the body to the thesis, making the whole essay organized and coherent.

There is no need to consult secondary sources – that is, sources other than the primary sources in the required textbook. For the final examination, I suggest that you review the texts you select to ensure that what you write will be accurate and attentive to its complexities and nuances.

Cite page references to quoted or summarized material in the Longman Anthology parenthetically as in this example: (LABL 2177). If you do consult other sources, to avoid plagiarism you must document any quoted, summarized, or paraphrased materials, using the MLA style for documentation. TurnItIn will review all submitted essays for evidence of plagiarism, either from published and online materials or from other students at Texas State and other institutions.

Use this essay as an opportunity to demonstrate 1) your comprehensive knowledge of the readings and backgrounds studied this semester and your ability to refer accurately and appropriately to them, 2) your own thoughtful reflection about the readings and ability to relate them to the topic you select, and 3) your abilities to write about the readings coherently, accurately, effectively, and grammatically. See the criteria below, for additional information.

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Prompt 1.

As we know, marriage is an institution that defines relationships between individuals, families, and larger groups and that has, traditionally, been linked to procreation. Given its importance to the survival and success of the whole, societies often circumscribe marriage with exacting rituals, rules, and expectations. These often express, among other things, cultural expectations about the relative dominance of the partners (through status, gender, power, etc.); the behaviors expected of those who are married; and the relation of married partners to other cultural institutions such as the family, government, and religion. Nevertheless, some literary characters, like the people they represent, defy social and cultural expectations.

For one selection from each of the three groups below (A, B, and C), describe (1) the kind of marriage that is represented in literary form (with consideration of its specific social and cultural type and function), (2) the behaviors that the specific society or culture in the period and literary work might expect of the marriage partners, and (3) actions of the marriage partners within the literary work. Does each marriage fulfill the expectations its society seems to set out for marriage?

Group A:from Beowulf, Wealtheow / Hrothgar

from Beowulf, Hildeburh / Finn

the Wife in “Wife’s Lament” / unnamed husband

Group B:Guinevere / Arthur (Lanval)

Wife of Bath / Janekin

the old hag / knight (Wife of Bath’s Tale)

Alison / John (Miller’s Tale)

Group CDesdemona / Othello

the rich widow / Tom Rakewell

Imoinda / Oronooko (consider their relationship both in Africa and in South

America)

Prompt 2.

Literary works often feature contrasts between the ideals a society promotes and/or strives to emulate and the reality of characters’ lives, which may or may not meet those ideals. From each of the groups below (one each from groups A, B, and C), select a character’s point of view in relation to the specified country or society and explore whether it emphasizes the similarity of the social ideal to reality or the differences between them. What does the fulfillment or failure to achieve those ideals suggest about society? human nature? the specific character? Can one find similar differences between ideals and reality today?

Group A:

–Wiglaf’s actions during the dragon episode of Beowulf, in relation to the Anglo-Saxon comitatus

–in Lanval, the Queen’s idea of love, in relation to the ideals represented by the mysterious lady a royal court in Marie de France’s Anglo-Norman culture

–the seeming cause of the “parfit joye” that the Wife of Bath attributes to the old woman and knight at the end of her Tale, and the pleasure the Wife most desires

Group B:

–in Othello, Emilia’s idea of the duty of wives to husbands, in contrast to Desdemona’s

–the character Othello and his actions on behalf of the republic of Venice

–in “To Penshurst,” the ideals Ben Jonson’s speaker assigns to Penshurst in contrast to those assigned to other aristocratic estates

Group C:

–the interests and actions of Belinda, in contrast to ideals of 18th-century polite society in England

–the ideals expressed by the narrator and/or other English colonists in Oronooko in contrast to their actions toward Oronooko

–Tom Rakewell and the ideal of the self-made English commoner

Criteria used to evaluate essay examinations:

1) Does the essay respond appropriately and fully to the topic?

2) Does the writer demonstrate an ability to identify significant links between or among the

works selected?

3) Does the writer demonstrate an ability to use adequate, appropriate and accurate details

from the readings or backgrounds to support general points?

4) Is the essay organized, with a clearly stated thesis sentence and brief conclusion?

5) Does any part of the essay wander away from the assigned topic, the thesis, or topic

sentences in paragraphs?

6) Are the essay and all its parts logical and coherent?

7) Is the essay clearly written, making effective use of precise words; logical, grammatical sentences; accurate mechanics (punctuation, spelling)?

8) What strengths in the essay may be balanced against any weaknesses?