1). Discussion: Compare the situation of the characters in The Decameron to your own situation over the past weeks. Use specific examples from the text as well as examples from your own experiences.
2).. Outline Assignment–Modules 10 and 11
The Canterbury Tales, Shakuntala, and The Tale of Genji all feature characters, conflicts, and themes dealing with the relationships between men and women. Chose one of the Canterbury Tales and in an answer of at least 5 paragraphs compare and contrast that tale with Shakuntala OR Tale of Genji in terms of the male/female relationships depicted in each. Which do you think presents the more realistic and accurate view and why? Your answer should have details and examples to support your comparison/contrast. To help organize your answer on the works in Units 9,10, and 11, use the outline below…but I want to see well-written paragraphs, not just these blanks filled in.
The Canterbury Tale I have chosen is________.
The theme of ______ in this tale is like the part in Shakuntala when _______
________(OR)___. It is like the part in Tale of Genji
when____
These two works are alike in terms of how they view the relationships between men and women because ____
specific examples from each work ________
These two works differ in their views of the relations between men and women because________
show examples from each work.
The one I feel gives the truest and most relevant picture of the way men and women relate to one another is ____
because ___
3). Writing Assignment 1: Choose one of the Canterbury Tales and (without just re-telling the story) discuss what insight or moral about human behavior it illustrates. Then briefly state how this same area of human behavior is treated differently by a work from a different Module. Use Details from the Tale you chose and from the work in the other Module.
4). Writing Assignment 2: Compare the “ideal hero” knight from one of the stories in this Module with the ideal hero as shown in one of the epics or tales from a previous Module. Use specific examples from the text of each and state clearly how the two are alike and different, and how their qualities reflect values in their respective societies.
5). FINAL ESSAY: In this course, you have seen how people in a wide range of places and times expressed their thoughts and feelings about human issues and questions that are still very much with us today. (what happens when we die? how should I live my life? who is god and what does he have to do with my life? how do men and women relate to one another? what is love? why do groups come into conflict? what loyalty do I owe my family..my clan..my country? and others…) You have also seen how these questions are answered through a variety of literary genres (epic, lyric, drama, folk tale, philosophy).
In your final essay, choose one contemporary work that you are familiar with—movie, TV show, play, book, song– that deals with one or more of the human issues presented in this course from a modern perspective. in an essay of at least 800 words—6-8- paragraphs–compare and contrast the modern work with at least three works from the course. You can choose more than three works from the course if you wish and write a longer essay. The works you choose should be from different Units of the course and should be from at least two different literary genres. Which view from the past comes closest to a modern view on the issue you choose and why?
Your essay should have an introduction and a conclusion and supporting paragraphs that include details from both the contemporary text and the texts from the course. DO NOT INCLUDE MATERIAL COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES. Using words that are not your own (aside from quotes from the works themselves) is plagiarism, and could result in a zero. I want to see your thoughts on the literature and your reflections on the “big ideas” that have been presented by the writers of other times and places.
6). Writing Assignment–Units 10 & 11
The Canterbury Tales, Shakuntala, and The Tale of Genji all feature characters, conflicts, and themes dealing with the relationships between men and women. Chose one of the Canterbury Tales and in a short essay of at least 5 paragraphs compare and contrast that tale with Shakuntala OR the Tale of Genji in terms of the male/female relationships depicted in each. Which do you think presents the more realistic and accurate view and why? Your answer should have details and examples to support your comparison/contrast. To help organize your answer on the works in Units 9,10, and 11, use the outline below…but I want to see 5 or more well-written paragraphs, not just these blanks filled in.
The Canterbury Tale I have chosen is______
The theme of ______ in this tale is like the part in Shakuntala when _______
_____(OR)___. It is like the part in Tale of Genji
when____
These two works are alike in terms of how they view the relationships between men and women because ________
specific examples from each work ____________
These two works differ in their views of the relations between men and women because_____
show examples from each work.
The one I feel gives the most true and relevant picture of the way men and women relate to one another is ____
because ____
