is grade A.( Favorite ) Kate Chopin- the story of the hour is grade D.( Least favorite.) Poems: Seamus Heaney- Digging a grade D. (Least favorite). George Herbert- Love is grade A.(Favorite) We began with the presumption that literature gives us a reason to write and without literature we fail to imagine, and a failure of imagination means we cannot see the world from another person’s point of view. Sensitive to the art of words, and language, however, we connect with humanity. As for your final exams, I should like them to be both cynical and sacred. I want you to show an awareness between a word that’s exactly right and a word that’s merely good enough. I want you to adore the Universe, to be easily delighted, but to be prompt as well with impatience with those artists who offend your own deep notions of what the Universe is or should be. “This above all …” I invite you to reread the assigned tales and poems and read any others you have not yet read from our book: Literature, an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing 8th, edited by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, Pearson, 2016. Read them for pleasure and satisfaction,beginning each as though, only seven minutes before, you enjoyed your favorite past-time. “Except ye be as little children …” Then produce on a single sheet of clean, white paper (typed) a table of contents listing your choices of any five stories and five poems, ten in all, (assigned or not), omitting the page numbers, and substituting for each number a grade from A to F. The grades you give the stories and poems should be childishly selfish and impudent measures of your own joy or lack of it. I don’t care what grades you give. I do insist that you like some stories and poems better than others. Layout and style the page as you wish so long as you present an ordered and logical table of contents. Include your first and last name somewhere. Proceed next to the hallucination that you are a minor but useful editor on a good literary magazine not connected with a university. Choose from your table of contents, one story and one poem that pleases you most and one story and one poem that pleases you least, four in all, and pretend that all four received offers for publication. Write a paragraph (150-250 words) analysis defending your choices on each (all four) stories and poems to be submitted to a wise, respected, witty and world-weary superior. Include the name of the author/poet and title of the story or poem in each paragraph or before each paragraph and use MLA page format. Do not scrutinize as an academic critic, or a vacuous rottentomato reviewer, nor as a person drunk on art, nor as a barbarian in the literary market place. Do not cheaply smack and slander or cuddle favorites all-lovey-dovey. React instead as a sensitive person who has a few practical hunches about how stories and poems can succeed or fail. Praise or damn as you please, but do so rather flatly, coolly, calmly, pragmatically, with cunning attention to annoying or gratifying details. Be yourself. Be unique. Be a good editor. The Universe needs more good editors, God knows. Defend your choices. Make your case for the ones that please you and the ones you like least as concisely and thoroughly as you can, giving valid, logical reasons that refer to (only the most) relevant literary element(s) such as point of view, theme, symbolism, character, tone, style, irony, form, figures of speech, imagery, etc. Please include quotes you find essential to illuminate your choices from crucial passages or lines. Do not bubble. Do not spi​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​n your wheels. Be concise and specific. Use good clear grammar and prose. Use words I know. Organize and format the document. Since there are seventy-five or so of you, and since I do not wish to go blind or go mad, about two-three pages total analyses from each of you, should do neatly. Put everything into one document with the Table of Contents on top and order your analyses according to your Table of Contents. Besides the Table of Contents, the remainder of the document should be in MLA paper format with proper citations for quotes. I expect to see about two paragraphs on each page. Do not include a Works Cited or additional items. Quote only from the stories and poems from our book. You may not use any secondary materials. You may not refer to (use and incorporate) any previously written material that you might have composed in, say, academic courses or during your preparation for the exams. In other words, you cannot use previously written papers from other classes or papers/journals from this class. Write new material for this exam. Do not quote common knowledge or the dictionary. Do not plagiarize. I assume that you are a mature, honorable person working toward the goal of earning your degree and thereby becoming a scholarly colleague, but you should be aware of your responsibilities and rights. I reserve the right to use plagiarism detection services such as Turnitin.com. Begin by carefully reading the instructions. I certainly do not provide samples of the final exam. Your tone should be analytical. As you evaluate and analyze each of the 4 literary works (2 stories and 2 poems), you should use phrasing such as: The story/poem was effective/ineffective because… (and NOT “I liked it/didn’t like it because…). The whole purpose is NOT to be superficial and bubbly about what you like (as if this literature were ice cream flavors) but instead to talk about how something works well or doesn’t work well. Phrasing: Some helpful phrasing you might want to consider as you analyze the 4 works on your final. You’re evaluating and analyzing them. Certainly you have chosen them and, yes, they are “your opinions” but that does not mean you want to be simplistic. Be sophisticated instead. I would stay away from phrasing like “In my opinion…”/”I liked/didn’t like it because” (Nooooooo… please don’t do that). Instead use phrasing that articulates something more to the effect: Jones’ poem uses symbolism; however, the symbolism seemed simplistic and trite. Give textual evidence (quotes) to support your points. It’s a short paragraph– one quote is probably sufficient. In other words, as the instructions explain– you’re giving reasons and proof and do not just slap paint on the walls. These paragraphs are similar to the ones you have been doing for the discussions and so you should be pros at this. Textual Evidence: As a reminder, one of the requirements of the final is to integrate quotes. You should be pros at this. The requirements of the final reflect our course objectives and your ability to compose clear and precise, well-reasoned, interpretive, argumentative prose. You’ve been doing this all semester. Without evidence, it won’t work. One quote per paragraph should do it, I’d say. Cite correctly– Remember– do not include a Works Cited. It’s unnecessary here. Only do exactly what the instructions tell you to do. The only source we can use is out textbook Literature, an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing 8th, edited by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioi​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​a, Pearson, 2016.

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