Take-Home Final Exam Questions

ENGL 3830: Literature for the Intermediate Reader

Final Exam

Due via email on April 21 by 4:45 PM.

Please answer two of the following questions. Remember to include a thesis statement in each response and to support your opinions with examples from the texts. Also remember that for our purposes, a “text” is anything we have studied, including short stories, films, and novels. Consult the study guide for additional rules and guidelines.

Please note the number of the question to which you’re responding in each answer.

1.      Do you think any of the fairy tales we have studied this semester contain problematic representations of gender? Explain your analysis using at least two texts. Be sure to include your definition of “fairy tale” in your answer, as it is a rather flexible term.

2.      Select one utopian or dystopian text we have studied and provide an interpretation of what it may reveal about the hopes, fears, and/or anxieties of children as they advance toward full participation in the adult world.  

3.      Hintz and Tribunella explain that fantasy and realism are often thought to exist in tension with one another in terms of merit and importance. Specifically, realistic texts are frequently thought to contain more sophisticated, “mature” ideas than fantastical ones. Using at least two texts to support your ideas, explain whether or not you agree and why.

4.      Hintz and Tribunella explain that the Harry Potter series met with censorship attempts not only because of its representations of “witchcraft,” but because of its representations of children who defy adult authority figures. Using at least two texts that contains similar representations of defiance, make an argument for why they should or should not be censored (i.e. banned from public libraries, school curricula, etc.).

5.      Several of the texts we have read/watched this semester deal with sexuality and romantic desire in children and young adults. Compare and contrast the representations of two characters from two different texts who experience sexual/romantic attraction. Then explain which text you would be more likely to assign/give to young readers and why.

Thanks for a great semester. Have a wonderful summer!