ENGL 230
Great Narrative Works
Potential Questions – Exam 1
March 8, 2007

Odyssey by Homer (O)
Aeneid by Virgil (A)
Inferno by Dante (I)
“Ulysses” by Tennyson (U)
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (UtV)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (HoD)

Each of the following questions is a potential for the exam. On exam day you will be given one of the following questions at random, and you will be expected to make a direct, concise yet detailed answer. YOU SHOULD CREATE ANSWERS FOR EACH QUESTION BEFORE THE EXAM AND THOROUGHLY PREPARE FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS IN ESSAY FORMAT IN CLASS BY CREATING OUTLINES/CLUSTERS/ETC. You will not be able to use your notes/books/exam preparations during the exam, but these pre-generating answers will make your answer much more accurate (and your brief exam time less stressful). In your preparation (and on the exam) you should focus on generating a thesis statement based on the potential question; you will then be expected to support your argument with descriptive evidence.

1. Throughout our readings, we have seen multiple interpretations of Odysseus/Ulysses. Citing specific examples in each of the texts, discuss how Odysseus/Ulysses is conveyed in these texts. Be sure to discuss how and why Odysseus/Ulysses changes in relation to the historical and cultural context and narrative structure of each text. Use O, A, I, and U.

2. Find a commonality among perceptions of and discuss the role of women in the chosen texts. Focus specifically on gender as a social construct and how it affects power structures in the texts. Cite specific examples from each of the texts to support your argument. Use O, A, I, HoD, and UtV.

3. Analyze and draw common connections between the uses of material, natural, and/or abstract symbols in the chosen texts (i.e. find a common symbol between the texts and discuss how it is employed in and between the texts and for what purpose). Determine how they are employed to build and resolve/enhance conflict and characterization, citing specific examples from the texts. Use O, A, I, UtV, and HoD.

4. Analyze and draw connections between the uses of sensory imagery (e.g. in setting, props, memory, characters, etc.) in the chosen texts (smells, tastes, touches, sounds, sights of the characters). Determine how they are employed to build and resolve/enhance conflict and characterization, citing specific examples from the texts. Use O, A, I, UtV, HoD.

5. Discuss in detail, citing examples from the texts, how punishment of the soul is interpreted and how it changes over time. Cite specific examples from each of the texts to create a critical evaluation of the historical progression of punishment and its historical context. Use O, A, I, and UtV.