Category: Literature

Write an analysis of one of the significant heroes or anti-heroes from
one or more of the texts in the class so far. You can also compare and contrast two heroes/ anti-he-
roes. Some ways to approach the topic: What is the significance of this hero to the text, audience,
and culture of the time and today? What kind of example does this hero give the reader and what
kind of values does this hero represent? Does the hero change through the course of the story? Are
the hero’s actions still laudable? Why or why not? How is the hero presented differently in different
stories? What is the significance of the structure of the hero’s quest? What do the challenges (and
the way the hero responds to those challenges) say about the hero? Relate to a present time Hero/
Anti-hero and find some similarities.
OPTIONS: 
Odyssey
Iliad
The Epic of Gilgamesh
No matter which topic you choose, your paper must have a clear argument, it must use evidence from the text—
both from the plot and specific lines/words used—and it must address those “how” and “why” questions. While
a little plot orientation may be needed, assume that the readers are familiar with the text, so there is no need for
an extended plot summary! Use “How to Write a Critical Analysis” as your guide. In the draft, you can add
comments or questions for me so I can give you feedback for the final.
Formal Requirements
• Final version between 800 and 850 words, not including bibliography, images, etc. Your draft has to be
at least 600 words long.
• Double-spaced, no more than 1” Margins, 12 Point Font (New Times Roman or equivalent).
• The draft is due on D2L.
• The final version should be submitted ASAP after receiving feedback.
• If you use parts or citations from previous written papers you need to cite yourself. ( check MLA on how
you cite yourself)
• Citations must conform to MLA 9 th Edition Style for in-text citations and works cited.
• Two scholarly sources are required for this paper, but not more than 3 (just be careful they do not over-
whelm your own writing/observations).
• You must use at least one literary term covered in the class to enhance your analysis of a specific mo-
ment in the text (allegory, metaphors, symbolism, etc.).
• Please review the plagiarism and deadline policies in your syllabus ( especially the use of AI/ ChatGPT).
Grading checklist
You will be graded according to the following criteria.
Content – 30 p ( 10 p each)
The paper…
Addresses the topic or question
Accurately presents assigned authors’ viewpoints
Provides sufficient textual evidence to support the argument
Structure – 30 p ( 3 p each)
The introduction…
Is present in the paper
Includes a clearly stated thesis
Indicates how the paper is organized
The body…
Contains a complete discussion and support
Each paragraph…
Includes a topic sentence
Develops one main idea
Has a transition sentence linking it to the next paragraph
The conclusion…
Recaps the thesis statement and the essay’s main points
Presents a closing statement of the writer’s position
Organization and Development – 20 p (5 p each)
The entire composition
Is logically organized
Has a solid argument with supporting evidence
Main points
Are relevant to the thesis statement
Are discussed without too much repetition
Style -20 p ( 2 p each)
Is concise and precise
Is free of misspellings
Is free of grammatical mistakes
Lacks incomplete sentences
Uses correct punctuation
Includes subject/verb agreement
Uses pronouns correctly
Is free of jargon and cliches
Cites references correctly

Once evidence is gathered, it must then be weighed, compiled, and presented. In its simplest term, this involves comparing what has been collected, using what is credible and relevant, and then showing it to others. For this module’s assignment, you will select a current journal article from the Hunt Library (no older than 5 years) about an organizational management topic. Then, use the information in the article to complete/fill out the assignment chart (DOCX). Download assignment chart (DOCX).How you choose the article and describe how the evidence in the article is weighed, compiled, and presented is up to you. The exercise is based more on your example to explain how this is done, rather than conducting your own research study and explaining what you discovered. Please ensure you correctly cite and reference the article you use and any other outside information for this assignment in the attached template (where indicated).
Submission
You will want to provide research by utilizing a minimum of two primary sources and the course textbook for a total of three sources (minimum).

Consider the character of Torvald Helmer. Is Torvald an antagonist? A misogynist? Or could Torvald be just as much a victim of nineteenth-century societal norms as Nora?
You will write a five-page paper, MLA formatted, that answers your question. You MUST use quotes/details and in-text citations.

Essay Instructions
The essay must be 3 (full) to 5 pages long,
double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. It will be one of your tasks to
find a focused, arguable (both contestable and defensible) thesis statement
that is based on a topic addressed in one of the prompts below.
You are not expected to use any other sources
besides the Inferno and Beowulf (this especially includes summaries or online
analyses). You may, however, use online searchable versions of the texts in
order to find supporting quotes–only if you then use the translation used in
class to type out those quotes (Do not cut and paste from a different
translation). Use parenthetical citation according to MLA format, noting line
numbers for Beowulf, and canto and line numbers for the Inferno. Choose short,
pithy quotes to make your point rather than long summative passages. Analyze;
do not summarize. Assume the reader of your essay has already read the texts
and doesn’t need to know what happens next in any particular passage. Instead,
your task is to convince your reader of a certain interpretation of
the text.
Regardless of the
prompt you choose, you must mention and quote both Beowulf and Dante, but you
may organize your essay in such a way that you devote more space to analyzing
one over the other. The space you devote to each character must take up at
least 1/3 of your essay.
Remember to
distinguish between Beowulf the hero and Beowulf the poem by using
italics correctly. Also, remember to distinguish between Dante the Poet and
Dante the Pilgrim in your essay.
Essay Prompt 1, About Modern
Heroes:
Which is the more
modern hero, Beowulf or Dante the Pilgrim? Keep in mind that, although we
covered Dante first in class because it nicely follows the Aeneid, Beowulf is the earlier written poem.
This doesn’t however, mean that Dante must be the more “modern” hero.
With the proper support, you could write a successful essay arguing either
perspective, but be sure to choose one. It may benefit you to consider a few
characteristics of modernity and then spend a paragraph or two on each of these
characteristics as portrayed by Dante and Beowulf. As always, keep your
argument focused, organized, and well-supported with evidence from the text.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Full Version | Audio book (youtube.com
After listening to the You Tube recording of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, create your own digital story based on what happened in Things Fall Apart. Remember to follow the instructions posted on the content page to help you create your story. You may work alone or with one or two of your peers. The names of the group members should be written on the front page of your slide. Record and post the link to your recording on the discussion section for it to be graded. Test, to make sure that the link works. This assignment is due on May 3 at 8:00 pm

Please correct the citations on my book report over the Tale of Genji. You must have access tothe Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu ISBN 978-0-679-72953-2. This is critical. The citations in there currently were from a PDF and not the correct book. I uploaded the instructions for the paper as well please let me know if you have any questions. 

Description of assignment: Write a 600-800 word response that critically reflects on at least 2 films and 1 reading per unit.
Week 13: Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera, 2008)
FILM:
Sleep Dealer (Alex Rivera, 2008) screened in class 
If you missed it rent and watch it on You Tube etc.
READING:
Pick any ONE required reading (or the podcast no. 5) for the film Sleep Dealer
“Imagining the Future from the Margins” – Article
“Check Your Network Connection”: Cyberpunk Visions of Disembodied Labor in Sleep Dealer” by Michael Pitts: https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/20115
The Dystopian Boderlands of Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer
Consumed by El Otro Lado – Alterations of the Neoliberl Self in Sleep Dealer
Undocumented Migration and Technologies of Resistance in Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer and Digital Media
Podcast: “Sleep Dealer” and the Border Politics of Tech w/ Alex Rivera (Listen from 7 mins into the clip till end): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQaKID6BzkY
EXTRA RESOURCES (OPTIONAL)
Short videos to provide examples of immigration injustice in the US
The Bracero Program (NBC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aye9c4SgPw
The dark history of the Chinese Exclusion Act – Robert Chang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K88pWCimZg
Ugly History: Japanese American incarceration camps – Densho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4NoVWq87M
Week 14: FILMS & READING
Pick any one film from any of the subsections below to watch remotely for 29 April, 2024 (Week 14)
Films: 
Who Is Dayani Cristal? (Directed by Marc Silver) [Free on Vimeo] 
(English version): https://vimeo.com/136622440
Spanish version: https://vimeo.com/136746747
Which Way Home  / Directed by: Rebecca Cammisa (1 hr 22 min)
Free on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/56919/which-way-home?start=true&tracking=google-feed]
Reading: Required reading for either of the two films listed above (Who is Dayani Cristal and Which Way Home ): 
Tracing borderscapes in three recent documentaries on central american migration.pdf

Many critics argue that “Songs of Experience” represents the theme of loss of innocence, the movement from childhood to adulthood. Identify three stanzas (and quote them) that you believe showcase this theme. Once you have chosen, you will analyze each to support your claim, i.e., answering why.

Choose a passage from The Descent of Inanna — something less than a page or so — and conduct a close reading of it, in which you slowly consider the elements of style and story you can observe, and give your thoughts on them.

What does a rising China—which may be sputtering recently— and responses from the US mean for the security challenges faced by Japan and South Korea? Make an argument about what the government of Japan or South Korea should do and why.
You must:
– Identify the risks and opportunities of the increased competition between the US and China for Japan or South Korea
– base your claims on all of the readings above and cite all of these sources
– you may cite other sources from the course or relevant peer-reviewed articles 
– all sources must be listed in a bibliography
1. Graham Allison, TED Talk, the Thucydides Trap, see video below
2. Review, O’Neil et al US, China, and Japan
3. Yoder, Brandon K. 2019. “Uncertainty, Shifting Power and Credible Signals in US-China Relations: Why the ‘Thucydides Trap’ is Real, but Limited,” Journal of Chinese Political Science, 24 (1), p. 87-104.
4. Zhang, Biao, 2019, “The Perils of Hubris? A Tragic Reading of the ‘Thucydides Trap” and China-US Relations,” Journal of Chinese Political Science: 24 (1). p. 129-144.
5. Lee, Peter K. 2023, “South Korea’s Quad Opportunity: Aligning Foreign Policy and Public Opinion,” Asan Policy Institute for Policy Studies, https://en.asaninst.org/contents/south-koreas-quad-opportunity-aligning-foreign-policy-and-public- opinion/
6. Niblett, Robin, 13 July 2022, “Managing a Divided World,” Chatham House Farewell Lecture https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/CH%20Farewell%2013-7- 22%20final%20given%20%281%29.pdf 7. 2023. Asan International Security Outlook 2023. P. 1-178, 135-141 https://en.asaninst.org/contents/asan-international-security-outlook-2023/