ILS2213, Final Examination
Part 1
Part 1 of this final assignment builds upon the type of reading and writing that we have done throughout the semester. By this point in the term you should feel confident in your abilities to read, analyze, and interpret a text.
The final exam will consist of ONE ESSAY QUESTION of your choice that you select from the list below. Begin your answer with a general statement that answers the question presented (this is your claim/thesis). Support this statement with examples from the text(s) under discussion and analysis of each example (Support your assertions with evidence from each text and explain each example’s relevance to your claim/thesis). Be sure to cite quoted lines and complete a works cited page. Write in complete sentences shaping your response in essay form. Please give your essay a title. All answers should be typed and double-spaced, a min. of 4 FULL pages up to 6 pages (this does page requirement does not include the works cited page). Your answers should be presented in formal essay form with an introduction, body, and conclusion. What you are presenting is formal literary criticism, so all the rules that typical apply to that type of writing apply here as well (no first person, no contraction, no personal pronouns, no plot summary, etc.). See the specifics below about purpose and audience.
PROMPT 1: Many of the texts what we have examined this term have presented the idea of nature as something both to be escaped from or something to recover and explore themes of nature as paradise and prison. Discuss how these ideas appear in Atwood's Oryx and Crake along with THREE other texts from the list below. What do you see as their central and shared message regarding these themes?
PROMPT 2: The editors of Nature magazine have pointed out that "many a technology has at some time or another been deemed an affront to God, but perhaps none invites the accusation as directly as synthetic biology. For the first time, God has competition." This idea of technology and science providing human culture with the ability to act in a god-like manner has appeared in many of the works we have examined this term. What do you see as an important common thread between these works in this regard and what seems to be their central message? You must use Atwood's Oryx and Crake in your answer along with THREE other texts from the list below.
PROMPT 3: In his essay "Foolin' with Mother Nature," William Gaylin argues that modern civilization is becoming much like the antlers of the Irish elk and may have evolved in ways that will ultimately be our own downfall. He also claims that "There are indications that technological society has estranged us from certain necessary conditions of survival as human beings. Unaware, we may have passed the apex and slipped onto the downward slope of the curve of adaptation. That which was formerly our glory and power--our technology and the culture it has spawned--has begun to reduce us." Do you agree with Gaylin's assertion? Using Oryx and Crake, and three other texts from this term, defend your position.
NOTE: In each of the prompts you are REQUIRED to use Atwood's Oryx and Crake in your answer; however, you may also choose from the texts below as well:
Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
Barbara Kingsolver, "Knowing Our Place"
Henry David Thoreau, "Huckleberries"
Carolyn Merchant, "Reinventing Eden: Western Culture as Recovery Narrative"
Rebecca Solnit, "The Thoreau Problem"
Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Rappacinni's Daughter"
BBC Documentary, A Decade of the Human Genome
James Cameron, director, Avatar
Andrew Niccol, director, Gattaca
Octavia Butler, "The Evening, the Morning, & the Night"
Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction
David Quammen, "Planet of Weeds"
William Gaylin, "Foolin' with Mother Nature"
Josh Gabbatiss, "Plants Can See, Hear Smell, and Respond"
Nic Fleming, "Plants Talk to Each Other Using an Internet of Fungus"
James Hawes (dir.), "Most Hated in Nation" episode of Black Mirror series
Jodi Helmer, "The Race to Build a Better Bee"
John Chester (dir.), The The Biggest Little Farm (2018)
The film you chose to watch for Essay 2
NOTE: THE IDEAS FOUND IN THIS PAPER MUST BE YOUR OWN. YOU MAY NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES!
What is Literary Criticism and How Do I Write a Paper of This Nature?
At its very basic definition, literary criticism is a written evaluation of a work of literature that attempts to enlighten a reader about the underlying meaning of the text, whether it is a play, poem, short story, or novel.
Purpose
In this type of paper a writer is forming an academic argument. As the writer you are arguing that your interpretation of the text is a valid - not the only interpretation - in an attempt to aid the reader in “seeing” the text in a new light or from a different perspective that perhaps may be different from their own.
Audience
Your audience is made up of academics, scholars, literary critics, professors, and students (who are academics, scholars, and literary critics). You should assume that they have read the text and are familiar with its contents. Because of this you would never merely retell the story because your audience is already familiar with it. This would also conflict with the purpose of this type of paper. You are to discuss underlying meaning, not retell the events of the story.
Because your audience is a scholarly one, your paper must be presented in a formal manner. You should use high diction and avoid first person, personal pronouns, and contractions.
Format
•Your essay should have a title. It should also be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Refer to OWL PURDUE for other questions about format. Your essay should be a minimum of 4 FULL pages and no more than 6 FULL pages . Again, the ideas in your paper must be your own. You may not use outside sources for this paper.
Your grade for this assignment will be determined as follows:
Total Possible Points: 100/
Final Draft, evaluated on the following criteria:
Focus (32 points): Does essay have a clear purpose? Overall claim stated in intro and restated in conclusion? Focus on a single idea or aspect of the literature? Is it clear how examples in body are related to the overall claim? Does the writer explain the broader implications of this claim to the text as a whole? Are the subclaims clearly related to the claim? When read together, do the intro and conclusion form one idea?
Development (32 points): Does writer support interpretation with evidence from text? Avoid giving a plot summary? Does writer explain for the reader how the evidence supports interpretation (and as a result the claim)? Does writer quote accurately from the source, including citing specific page numbers?
Organization (32 points): Do first few sentences arouse the reader’s interest and focus their attention on the subject? Are readers expectations set and clearly met? Do paragraphs have clear focus, unity and coherence? Effective transitions? Does the writer guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (12 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone? Does writer use the literary present tense to describe events in the story?
Mechanics (12 points): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error?
NO REFLECTION (-11 POINTS)
Grading scale:
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 0-59
Part 2 of Final Exam: Presentation Reflection
Throughout the semester, you have listened to ten presentations regarding scientific, philosophical, and moral issues related to the environment in some way. After each presentation, you should have taken notes about each group’s major points. We typically did some type of group activity afterward to reinforce ideas presented. As we moved through the term, you likely began to see patterns of connection forming among several of the topics. Connecting these allows you to see how many topics are intricately related.
Review your notes. What pattern of connections do you see? What is the central idea/theme that all together?
In a free write of two pages, discuss at least three group’s presentations and what connections you see among their topics. Many of these connections will come from class discussions or content, but you might also connect movies, music, TV, or your own experiences. In your paper, you should not only point out the connections you see but also discuss your own responses to them. What larger issues emerge after you have made your connections?
This is a thinking response as well as an informal argumentative response. By simply pointing out the connections you see among the topics and the world around you, you are making an argument.
Grading Scale:
18-20 A
16-17 B
14-15 C
12-13 D
0-11 F
