Discussions
Discussion 1: Oedipus Discussion
? In Ovid, Icarus soars too close to the sun on wax wings, and he plummets to his doom as result. In Oedipus, we know that Oedipus went to the oracle at Delphi to learn about himself, his past, and his future. Based on what you have read so far, do you believe that Oedipus has "soared on wax wings" too close to the sun? Should he have left the oracle alone? Or was he correct in seeking this knowledge?
? You have been charged with judging Oedipus for killing his father and marrying his mother. Based on his background and all the relevant facts from the play what punishment would you give and why?
Discussion 2: Nights Discussion
? Compare the ideas about and attitudes towards women as expressed in The Thousand and One Nights to those expressed in either the Iliad, or the Odyssey.
? Compare Penelope and Shahrazad--what does such a comparison teach us about the ancient Greek and the medieval Arabic cultures respectively with regard to female characters?
? Compare King Oedipus to King Shahrayar--what does such a comparison teach us about the ancient Greek and the medieval Arabic cultures respectively with regard to leaders in a position of power?
Discussion 3: Lais, Bisclavret & Canterbury Tale, Wife of Bath Discussions
? Consider the Werewolf (Bisclavret): This is a tale of the supernatural and also an infidelity. What does this tale have to say about loyalty? Did its ending surprise you? How was it different from your expectations?
? Can the Wife of Bath's tale been seen as an attack on women, as an attack on the oppression of women, or in some ways both? How so? Explain.
? Do these tales have morals? If so, what are they?
? Compare the Wife of Bath to Shahrazad--what does such a comparison say about attitudes towards women in this time period.
Discussion 4: Dante's Inferno Discussion
? Dante claimed that The Inferno traced "the state of souls after death." Can you find examples that contradict Dante's claim? In other words, can you point out specific details that show that Dante was concerned with events and people in his own time?
? Dante creates a type of punishment for each sin that he calls a contrapasso. This means a punishment of poetic justice. The fate of the fortune tellers provides one example of a contrapasso. In the Inferno, those who told the future have their heads on backwards so that now they can only look behind themselves. That type of creative punishment related to what Dante considered an earthly sin, is a contrapasso. Describe any other contrapasso that you found in the reading.
? Comment on the weather as it is described in at least 2 different levels in the Inferno. What might the weather conditions mean in your opinion?
Discussion 5: Machiavelli's The Prince & Don Quixote Discussion
If Machiavelli were alive today would he be a liberal or a conservative? Could he be either?
? What kind of person is a Prince who lives and rules according to Machievelli's ideas? How will that Prince appear to the general population?
? Is there anything to admire about Don Quixote the character? If so what? If not, why not?
? Based on characters and events in Don Quixote, what may have been Cervantes's attitudes toward women and their place/role in the world in the society of his time?
Haiku Discussion and Creation
? First, view the Haiku Slideshow PPT Lecture & Discussion Assignment Prompt to get started
? Then compose a Haiku of your own (see the slideshow for tips)
? Finally, tell us a little (about a paragraph about your Haiku--how you got the idea, or anything else relevant).
? Have fun with this one!
Discussion 6: Ghalib in Contrast
? Compare any poem by Ghalib to any poem by one of the following writers: John Keats (see page 608); Walt Whitman (see page 646); Emily Dickinson (see page 666); Heinrich Heine (615); Giacomo Leopardi (633); William Blake (577); William Wordsworth (588); or any of the other poets in your textbook's table of contents (see volume 2).
? You have much freedom here as long as you a) read these two poems and b) tell me your opinion and not what Wikipedia or Shmoop says the poem means. I will give you some pointers to get you started:
? Summarize each poem briefly as if you had to fit a brief summary on Twitter
? Who is speaking in each poem?
? What emotions or attitudes are expressed?
? Why did you choose each poem?
? Do the poems share any common themes as far as you can tell?
? What else can you say about this comparison?
Discussion 7: Flaubert, Tolstoy, and Chekhov Discussion
? Tell us which two works that you chose to read (of the three).
? Which of these three stories is least like anything that we have read up to to this point? Why? Explain using specific details from the reading and from a few representative earlier works.
? Discussion the depiction of human agency (in other words, the ability of a person to act in the world and chose how to live in the world, to make a life for himself or herself) in two of these three stories.
Discussion 8: Kafka, Borges Discussion
? Compare one of these stories to one of the stories from last week. What can you say about this comparison?
? Last week I asked you about the depiction of human agency (in other words, the ability of a person to act in the world and chose how to live in the world, to make a life for himself or herself). This week discuss the depiction of human agency in one of these work
Discussion 9: Eliot Discussion, "Prufrock
INSTRUCTIONS: Below are several questions about "THE LOVESONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK." The clues to answer these questions are hidden somewhere in the poem. Some of the questions are direct; other questions will stretch your imagination.
Remember the poem is written from a 1st person, stream-of-consciousness perspective, so you'll have to wade through some seemingly random thoughts to find the answers!
Answer any 3 of the 7 questions below. As a class we'll "unpuzzle" this puzzling poem:
1. How old (approximately) is Prufrock? What physical traits do we know that he has (these traits may give us clues that will allow us to guess his age)?
2. What qualities of big city life are suggested in the poem? How are these qualities linked to Prufrock's mood?
3. Close readers of this poem have suggested that Prufrock may be attending a social gathering or a party of some kind. Eliot gives us a clue because he uses the same line to interrupt Prufrock's stream-of-consciousness; this interruption is a clue that tells us where Prufrock might be. What is the line that is repeated to produce this effect and where might he be?
4. What item has Prufrock used to "measure out his life?" Think about this curious detail: What conclusion can we draw about Prufrock based upon this information?
5. In the beginning of the poem (in the first 45 lines), Prufrock seems to be reassuring himself that he has plenty of something. What does he think that he has plenty of, and do you believe him? Does he believe himself?
6. A "feminine rhyme" occurs when the last two syllables of a pair of lines rhyme (e.g. "is it" & "visit")? Find the lines ending in "ices" and "crisis". What does Prufrock appear to be struggling with in these two lines?
7. Now that you have answered #6, you may notice that Prufrock asked himself a question. What is the answer to that question based on the 20 lines or so that follow his self-inquiry?
Discussion 10: Joyce Discussion
? Modernism and the writing of the 20th Century was often about loss. Compare the types of loss in "The Dead" to the types of loss seen in one of last week's readings.
? Joyce's "The Dead" is about loss. What does "The Dead" have to say about how much of our lives are lived in a mingling (a mixing) of present experience along with memory?
? What questions do you have about this week's reading? Can you respond to a classmate's question or post?