Texts to Review for Final
Henry David Thoreau, "On Civil Disobedience"
Plautus, Pseduolus
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me
Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
A. General Tips on How to Study For the Exam
a. Make a list of the key themes/ideas of each text.
b. Review the basic structure of each text: what is its organizing principle?
c. Review the language of each text. What makes the language (diction) unusual or unique?
d. Make connections between the texts regarding theme, structure, and language. Do you notice patterns emerging as you review the texts?
e. Ask yourself questions about the various texts and essays. Making up your own questions and then trying to answer them is an excellent way to prepare for the essay part of the exam. Even if a particular essay question doesn’t come up on the exam, chances are that if you’ve thought about the texts thoroughly, made up your own questions and answered them thoughtfully, you’ll be able to write a cogent, well-organized essay.
f. One good way to review the important parts of readings and essays is by reviewing the parts you’ve underlined and/or placed notes next to in the margins. Of course, this strategy will only work if you’ve regularly marked/underlined your books in a coherent way.
g. Have quotations prepared on your pages of notes. Direct quotations are the most effective way of substantiating your points, followed by clear, concrete, and specific references to the texts.
B. Exam Format
The exam will consist of the following two sections: one analytical essay and one personal/creative essay.
Note: You must write on The Glass Castle for the midterm.
Your exam must reflect coverage of the texts. In other words, choose a different text for Part II from the ones you used for Part I.
Part I: Comparative Essay on Broad Theme. Allow 60 minutes (80 points)
Here I will pose a question that asks you to make connections between texts, building towards some larger idea or theme important to the course. You will have some choice about texts (but you'll be required to write on The Glass Castle).
***I’ll give you TWO to THREE questions to choose from here.
For the analytical essay, please remember to:
Organize your essay with care. Take a couple of minutes before you begin writing to identify your main argument, your main points of comparison and difference, and to sketch your approach (use the back pages of your bluebook for these notes to yourself). You won’t have time or space to cover all the possible interesting connections and implications you see between the various texts, so it’s best to choose ones that you see as fundamental to main ideas you want to convey.
Make sure you use specific details and examples from the texts to make your points. You'll be able to bring notes to the final--don't forget them! Use direct quotations from the texts when possible.
For the analytical essays, make sure you have a cogent, coherent argument. This means that your main idea is something debatable and interesting, not something so obvious that it doesn’t really need to be stated.
On a related note, all essays should demonstrate thoughtful reflection. This is your chance to show me that you’ve really considered the various readings and have made connections between them and/or thought about why and how they differ from one another in terms of the larger themes of the class.
Part II: Personal Essay Section. Allow 30 minutes (20 points).
You'll compose a personal essay involving at least one of the texts from this semester. This essay will also involve a personal situation that happened to you.
Your essay should include:
A scene of some sort
At least five lines of dialogue
Strong imagery
Four of the five senses (including smell)
Vivid and compelling details
A clear sense of voice
A clear sense of the audience
C. Policy on bringing notes/books to the midterm
You should bring:
6 one-sided pages of notes
quotations from the texts (with page numbers) are encouraged
but you can also have notes as well
no smaller than a 12 pt. font
single-spaced pages
1" margins