Eng/Afri 340Finalfall 2010 300 Points

ENG/AFRI 340FINALFALL 2010 [300 POINTS]

We havehad two hour examinations this semester covering the majority of the short fiction assigned in the course as well as Lahiri's novel and Valdez's plays, each of you has written an analysis of Jen's Mona in the Promised Land, and we have covered only three short stories and Kindred in the remaining weeks of the semester. On the final examination you will be responsible only for demonstrating your knowledge of Octavia Butler's Kindred. I considered asking you to write a second essay or a series of short responses on the three short stories, but that seems unreasonable to me because you have already written a quiz this week on "A Moving Day," and I don't see the point of artificial creating examination questions on just three short works.

For your final examination, then, you will write an extended analysis of Kindred by discussing one of the topics listed below. The best answers will state a clear thesis that establishes your focus for discussing the character, issue, or thematic concern in question and then will proceed to defend that thesis by supplying and discussing specific examples from the novel. I have listed central characters and general concerns discussed in class, keeping the assignment as open as is possible. This provides you with considerable freedom of choice, but also requires that you carefully narrow your focus to a thematic concern, conflict, or character development that can be discussed effectively in a two hour writing session. Constructing a thesis that limits your concerns and establishes a pattern of development for your essay is crucial preparation for the examination.

While I do not expect all of you to take the full two hours while writing your in-class essay, I do expect you to prepare a detailed analysis of the novel and to develop your argument by supplying specific examples and short quotations selected from throughout the novel. Of course, any brief quotations must be properly introduced and documented. See the essay assignment for examples of proper documentation procedures. Your answer should begin by introducing the novel and author, providing a short plot overview that emphasizes those aspects of the novel relevant to your thesis, and stating a thesis that includes a list of the topics that you intend to develop. I anticipate that most of you will produce a 5-6 page handwritten essay in response.

YOU MAY USE THE NOVEL WHILE WRITING THE EXAM. YOU MAY ALSO WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION, INCLUDING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT, AND A LIST OF THE SUPPORTING EXAMPLES THAT YOU INTEND TO USE TO SUPPORT YOUR TOPICS ON TWO 4 x 6 INDEX CARDS.OF COURSE, YOU MAY ALSO USE POST IT NOTES OR PAPERCLIPS TO MARK PASSAGES IN THE NOVEL.

Demonstrate your familiarity with Octavia Butler’s Kindred by discussing one of the following topics:

Kevin Franklin

Margaret Weylin

Rufus Weylin

Sarah

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