a210 final exam january 2007 answer notes

8/14/2019 A210 Final Exam January 2007 Answer Notes

1/24

A210: Approaching Literature

Second Semester End Examinations

JANUARY, 2007

Answer Notes

The Arab Open University Course A210

Marking Guidelines for End of Semester Examination,

Marking InstructionsGeneral Recording of Marks in Answer

Book

1) All examiners must first attend a coordination meeting

with their staff tutor. They must collectively mark

a small sample of either photocopied or "live" scripts.

After the meeting RE-MARK THE "LIVE " SCRIPTS

in the light of marking scheme amendments agreed at

co-ordination.

2) Please enter the marks in the right-hand margin of each

answer book and transfer these marks to the cover page of

the answer book strictly in accordance with the instructions

in the Scriptmarker Notes.

3) Kindly allot 80% of the marks for Knowledge and

Cognitive Skills, and 20% for Communicative Skills and

Language Accuracy. We should consider primarily whether


2/24

A210 Final Exam,Jan. 2007, Page 2 of 24

the candidate has explained the core concepts and kept the

focus of the question in mind.

4)Ticks

Please tick points or ideas in the body of the text to indicate

that you have accepted them as correct. This will help your

Staff Tutor or Examination Board Member to check your

work.

5) Proof of Assessment

Do not leave any page without some proof (eg a tick at the

bottom or side), that it has been read and assessed by thescriptmarker. Unless this is done a checker cannot tell

whether a marker has seen it or not.

6) Comments

Please write comments on the reasons for awarding marks

either on individual questions or on the scripts as a whole to

help the staff tutor to understand your marking.Note that in future students may be entitled to have access to

comments made by scriptmarkers. This should not deter you

in any way from making such marking comments, but do

avoid generalizations or assertions of a personal nature.

7) Candidate Errors

Please score through errors, and where necessary add a wordof explanation(eg " instruction not followed"," irrelevant")

8) Instructions not followed

If a candidate attempts more questions than required, markall

the answers and give credit to the candidate's best valid

attempt(s).


3/24


If two answers are offered for the same question and the

candidate has deleted neither, allow the grade or mark for the

better answer. Strike through the other answer and write

"second answer" against it.

9) Work Crossed Through by the Candidate

Do not award marks for work crossed through by the

candidate. In no circumstances take such work into account

when marking the script.

10) Partially Completed Answers

If an answer is partially completed and continued elsewhere ,

note in the margin at the end of the first instalment the grade

or mark to be carried forward, eg 50. At the beginning of the

next instalment, note the grade or mark brought forward.

11) Please record the marks in the boxes provided on the

cover page of the answerscript. Please enter your tutor code

in the space provided for this on the cover page.

12) After entering the grades/marks on the answer book

check through each page of the answer book (and

supplementary/single question answer book, if used) to

ensure that all grades/marks have been transferred correctly.

13) The transcription and calculation of marks must be

verified not only by the marker but also by someone else. It ismost important to check on the addition of marks yourself,

especially if there are short answer questions. Scriptmarkers

must take full responsibility for the accuracy of their work.

14) Illness of a Scriptmarker

If, by reason or other serious cause ,you are unable to

complete the marking you must inform the Examination


4/24


Office at AOU immediately. In these circumstances you

should NOT return the scripts to the university, but rather

wait for instructions.

15).Confidentiality of marking

All matters connected with the marking of scripts must be

kept confidential.

Pran Pandit

Course Chair

A210


5/24


FINAL EXAMINATION

Semester September-January

2006/2007

ANSWER NOTES

Course No:A210Course Name: APPROACHING LITERATURE

Examination Date: : / JANUARY/ 2007

Time: 3 hours (from .. to .. am/ pm )

Section Number: (to be written by student)..

** Before beginning to answer, read the instructions carefully. Spend

10-15 minutes on reading the instructions and questions.You may write on both sides of the pages.

EXAM COMPONENTS, MARKS & TIME SUGGESTED FOR

EACH SECTION:

SECTION Qs MINUTES MAX.

MARKS

EARNED MARKS

Content

80%

Lang.

20%

Total

SECTION (A)

ObligatoryQuestion

1 60 20 16 4

SECTION (B)

Choose

EITHER (2) OR

(3)

2 55 15 12 3

3 55 15 12 3

SECTION (C)

Choose

EITHER (4) OR

(5)

4 55 15 12 3

5 55 15 12 3

TOTAL EARNED MARKS OUT OF 50

SIGNATURE of MARKER : DATE:


6/24


SECTION ONE :OBLIGATORY

Write short notes/definitions on any five topics in not more than 100

words each. Always give examples from your course(4 marks each)

a)The Rise of the Novel

b)Heteroglossia

c)Flat and Round Characters

d)Narrative Techniques (including first person and third person

narration,dual perspective,showing and telling

e)Role of Imagination in Romantic Poetry

f)Levelling of Language in Romantic Poetry

g)Cult of Sensibility

h)History and Literature

i)Cultural Stereotype

ANSWER NOTES(Page nos in brackets refer to those in the course

books and genre guides (RN: The Realist Novel,RW: Romantic

Writings) where details may be found.)These answers are of more than

100 words. The main ideas as given here may be found in the answers by

the students.

a)The Rise of the Novel:

The answer must emphasize that the novel emerged as a popular literary

form,as a result ofmajor social changes in western society(R.N.21).This

change, according to Arnold Kettle, was the rise of the commercial class,

with the coming of industrialization and capitalism. Romance belonged to

a society of the past that had passed (21),a feudal ,aristocratic society.

In fact, the novel is bound up with the concept of realism. It is a mimesis

or imitation of reality.(20).Thus the novel became a genre to take stockof the new society.(Part 2, R.N.226).The answer may support this


7/24


theory by quoting other critics. Lukacs says that the novel reflects a total

reality. For example, Austen in Pride and Prejudice,offers a focus on

the conflicts and alliances of aristocracy and bourgeoisie.Both novels,

Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, show the status of women and the

struggle for gender equality."Great Expectations" and Fathers and Sons,are set in the background of the class divide that existed in 19th century

England and Russia,respectively.

LOs:

Knowledge of Contents:

The answer should briefly:

*discuss the historical origins of the novel

*point out the function of the novel:"to take stock of the newcommercial society

*point out the characteristics of this society:capitalism,bourgeoisie/class

divide and gender inequalty

* show how romance had become irrelevant now

Cognitive Skills:

The answer should

*quote phrases from major critics to substantiate the facts

given:Lukacs,Kettle,

*be logically and coherently discussed

Language:

*should be written in correct language:grammar,sentence construction

*Titles of books should be put in quotation marks

*The titles of books and names of critics should be correctly spelt:

b)Heteroglossia:

This literary term was defined by Mikhail Bakhtin as incorporation of

other voices ,texts, and styleswhich allows the novel to reflect

different understandings of the world through time(p 2,RN).These

voices give a novel its range and openness to competing alternative

interpretations. Further Bakhtin said that novels are dialogic,(p 35

RN),and present voices of different classes,genders,age groups,and even

periods of history. These challenge the dominant voice or voices . In

simpler terms,they are different sets of competing beliefs and opinions,

that enrich our understanding of the world as a whole,from all sides .Forexample, in Pride and Prejudice,the traditional belief in the prime


8/24


importance of marriageship for girls, is represented by the voice of Mrs

Bennet, but the opposing voices are those of Elizabeth, and, ofcourse,

the writer .

c)Flat and Round Characters (Refer to Genre Guide,"Approaching

Prose Fiction)

According to E. M. Forster,in his book,Aspects of the Novel,a novel

has two types of characters: the flat character represents a particular

idea,human trait,or set of values, much like Mrs Bennet in Pride and

Prejudice,who believes that marriage to a well- to-do groom, is the only

means of future financial security for her daughters, who must agree with

their parents choice( a typical 19

th

century England view).There is nochange in her beliefs throughout the novel . Such characters are

caricatures.

Contrary to Mrs Bennet,is her daughter, Elizabeth . She is a round

character in Forsters term,and is psychologically complex, She has

three dimensionality(Genre Guide to Prose).She begins as a bold,

wilful, independent , person, who prides her judgement of people like

Darcy,based on first impressions.As the story proceeds and she learns

about her errors in judgement, she changes.

d)Narrative Techniques:First and Third Person Narration, Dual

Perspective, Showing and Telling. (Refer to Genre Guide to Prose

Fiction)

These are two different types of techniques used in novels . In the first

person ,the narrator is the central character, and tells his/her own story,

like in Jane Eyre" and Great Expectations. In the third person

narrative,like Pride and Prejudice , and Fathers and Sons, the writer

adopts an omniscient (all-knowing) stance,and knows everything aboutthe characters,telling us the story from the outside.

In the first person narration, in the two novels in our course, there is a

dual perspective. Both Jane and Pip,the protagonists,tell their story from

two perspectives: childhood ,and as adults . When they describe things as

they saw and experienced them in childhood, they are emotionally

charged descriptions,(as when Jane describes her torture at the hands of

the Reeds).As adults they are restrained and reflective.


9/24


In the third person narration, the writer uses both,"showing,or direct

speech of the characters ,and telling,in which the writer indirectly tells

us what the character sees and feels. Like in Pride and Prejudice,

and Elizabeths reaction to Darcys snub at the ball, is indirectly stated :

Darcy was the proudest man in the world . When replying toCollins,however, she is shown as saying,"Compliments always take

you by surprise, and me never.(See Chapter 2,RN)"Showing" helps to

draw reader sympathy.

e)The Role of Imagination in Romantic Poetry:

In his work,"Biographia Literaria,Coleridge ,the Romantic

poet,describes imagination, as a power that dissolves,diffuses,dissipates,

in order to re-create.It is opposed to fancy, which does not recreate,butonly shuffles the fixed and dead elements of the material universe.(p85-

86,Romantic Writings). Imagination brings a sense of novelty and

freshness to old and familiar objects.

Poets are defined in relation to their possession of imagination.Coleridge

wrote poems like The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Kubla

Khan,both based on imaginary stories or myths.

f)Levelling of Language:

Wordsworth discussed his theory of levelling of language in his Preface

to the Lyrical Ballads(p81,RW). According to him, poets must use the

language of the rural poor, which contains sensitive insights,and is nearer

the truth and nature.To do this,poets must strip themselves of the

excess baggage of civilization, and write not in the language understood

only by the educated .(p 82,RW). This call for a more democratic

language , was refuted by Coleridge .

g)The Cult of Sensibility

The cult or general belief in the necessity to have sensibility arose in the

eighteenth century. Sensibilty meant"the power of feeling to

communicate directly between people(.it ) celebrated the man of

feeling,endued with sympathy and pityin response to the suffering of

others".(RW,p.113).This cult has strong links with Romantic writings.

Curran states that the "poetry of sensibility is at base a literature on

which Romanticism was reared."(RW,Part 2,p.286)The poetry of


10/24


sensibilty represents women in semi-maternal roles,and values their

quality of kindliness and caring.

But from the1790s,male poets, like Wordsworth ,dissociated themselves

from the feminine-marked movement, and attempted to representsensibility as a masculine cult. According to Wordsworth, a poet is a man

talking to men.His poetry described scenes of meeting an old man on the

roadside,or hearing the distress of a young woman.(RW, p.114)

Blake,the other great Romantic poet,saw sensibility as an "inadequate

and clichd response to the problems of the poor and the old and of

women and children." He parodies sensibility in his poem,"The Human

Abstract",where he retells the story of the creation of woman in negative

terms. The first female form is named Pity ,and she is viewed with horrorby "the eternal myriads". This is a gendered interpretation of sensibility.

h)Literature and History

All through this course, there are discussions relating the novels, stories

and poems to the history of the times in which the poets lived and

worked. For instance,we cannot properly understand the events and the

way characters behave in Great Expectations, without discussing theIndustrial Revolution, which created a class divide in English

society.Fathers and Sons is a story of Russia in the 19 th century, when

society was divided into the rich landowners, and the very poor 'serfs' or

farmers, who lived like slaves. The novel shows how the hero, Bazarov,

struggles to reform Russian society, and bring freedom to these serfs.

Even poems, like those of the Romantic period, are related to history. The

French Revolution, inspired many English poets to write poems in

which secret references are made to the corruption and lack of civil

liberties in their country. Thus, The poem,England 1819, by Shelley, and

London by Blake, refer to the times when the mad King George III and

his corrupt sons ruled England. The king, church, and army were all

corrupt and the common man suffered. Thus inEngland 1819, the rulersare called 'leeches, insects which suck the blood of the people. So

literature is almost always influenced by historical events and we need to

discuss them in relationship to each other.

i)Cultural Stereotype

The first phase of feminist literary criticism, grew out of the

feminist movement in the late 1960s . During this initial phase, feminist

literary critics focused on re-reading canonical literary works writtenby male writers with an eye to examining the images and


11/24


12/24


are docile, maternal and accepting of the hardships of life. They are both

rewarded with blissful lives and happy marriages.

In "Jane Eyre " Helen Burns (the name signifies that she was so

pure as to sacrifice everything), represented the pristine type of woman,

in contrast to the callous Mrs Reed.In "Fathers and Sons ",Odintsova isportrayed as a femme fatale who destroys Bazarov's life force. Bazarov's

mother is a traditional noble woman.

LOs for the Short Notes:

Content and Knowledge:

The answers should : point out the main characteristics of the concept,

example:heteroglossia is the incorporation of many voices

refer to the important theories,critics and works,example:.

E.M. Forster in his book,"Aspects of the Novel" states

provide examples from the course ,example:Elizabeth is a

"round"character because she changes through the novel

Cognitive:

should quote important phrases forauthenticity,example:Sensibilty "is the power of feeling tocommunicate".

Language :

Be written in correct English: use of correct

grammar,spelling,quotation marks

SECTION TWO


13/24


Do either Question Two or Question Three.

Question TWO

Discuss either "Pride and Prejudice" or "Jane Eyre" as a social commenton the various issues of 19th century England.

(Please note that the key ideas to discuss are "social comment" and 19th

century England in the novel you choose to write about.)

Answer Key

Introduction:

"Pride and Prejudice" as social comment:

Students may refer to realism as a form of writing, that portrays

individualized characters in a specific geographical and historical world,

wherein the interaction between characters and their society, is the

main concern of the novel. They should also refer to the historical context

of the late 18th and early 19th century by highlighting the impact of the

French revolution, the dominance of reason over emotions, the moral

Puritanism of social behaviour. Students could also refer to Austen as a

novelist concerned with the issues of her time, through her close

observation and dramatization of life of a limited community. Reference

could be made to the fact that writers such as Bronte, criticized Austen's

art as being uninvolved in matters of the heart or matters that lie outside

the community. However, this is not the case, and the students should

state the thesis statement of the essay by pointing out thatPride and

Prejudice is activelyengaged in the social, political, and religious

issues of the time.

Body:

Students should elaborate on each of the points raised in the introduction.They may begin with a discussion of the social issues such as marriage,

property, education, gender stereotypes and the emphasis on intellect,

reason and seriousness in behaviour. Explanations of these points should

come from relevant sections or characters in the novel. For example, the

issue of marriage is closely related to that of property: the Bennet sisters

need to marry well, because their father's estate is entailed to their cousin,

Mr. Collins. Here critics, such as Moers orArmstrong or Morris could

be mentioned. Reference to Moers is in relation to Austen's "hard-headed

female realism", which highlights the role of income and property inwomen's pursuit of eligible husbands, and the restricted mobility of


14/24


women to find a husband. This "marriageship" is a complex, delicate

process of investigation, and maneuvering by women in order that they

may achieve a good settlement for life, without sacrifice of dignity or

self-respect. Charlotte Lucas's case is also an example of how desperate

women could be to got married, so as not to grow into spinisterhood, andbecome a burden to the family. Although Mr. Collins is an obnoxious,

pretentious man, Charlotte accepts his proposal, out of necessity and not

out of love. Armstrong's interpretation ofPride and Prejudice could beused to illustrate Austen's criticism of class structure, when Austen

satirizes the snobbery of Lady DeBourgh, and gives a sympathetic view

of the Gardiners to undermine class pride. Criticism is also leveled at

what was meant by education at the time: Elizabeth's lack of

"accomplishment" in comparison with the Bingley's standard, is Austen's

criticism of the shallow type of education that was expected of women atthe time.

As for the political issues, Butler's discussion of Austen's conformity to

the society's political ideologies is useful here. The fear of rebellion

against the monarchy (with the French Revolution and the reign of terror

in the background), made the society reject the sentimental novel as

wholly connected with revolutionary sentiments, and as a threat to the

status quo. Accordingly, students may refer to Austen's conservatism, and

hence her criticism of those who prioritize their emotional judgments,

rather than their rational ones. For example, both Lydia and Elizabeth,

are taught the dangers of subjectivism. In Elizabeth's case, she is taught

by her more rational male partner to revise her judgment and

acknowledge her error.

On the religious level, students should refer to the Evangelical

Spirit,which is closely related to Austen's background as the daughter of

a clergyman, and as an anti-Jacobin. It is clear that Austen favors Darcy's

moral rectitude and social responsibility as a landowner. This spirit is

also clear in Elizabeth's response to Lydia's elopement, when she refers to

her sister's lack of Christian virtue of responsibility, and her tendency to

spend her time in frivolity and vanity. However, Austen undermines theextreme form of this spirit in the figure of Mr. Collins, who represents

extreme religious intolerance, when he responds to Lydia's elopement.

Conclusion

The students may refer to the novel as criticism of society in general, i.e.,

in all of its aspects. Austens small communities are not isolated groups;

they are indeed influenced by matters beyond their immediate setting.

Moreover, Austen's criticism of both high class(Lady Catherine) and low(the Bennets), of the rational (Darcy) and the emotional (Lydia), of those


15/24


seeking marriage out of love (Elizabeth) and those out of materialism

(Charlotte), of moral Puritanism (Collins) and of frivolous behaviour

(Lydia & Wickham) indicates that the novel is deeply rooted in the

current debates of its time. Students may also mention that underneath all

the strict realism and seriousness of the novel, there's the element ofescapism in the fairytale romance between Elizabeth and Darcy, a tale of

a bewitched princess in exile of her real home, who is "rescued" and

"restored" to her proper place. Accordingly, Austen's attitude towards

these issues is dialogical, as she seems to be with and against the rules

and conventions of her society.

Learning ObjectivesA. Knowledge and Understanding of:

1. relationships between literary texts and their contexts (the

moral, social, and historical backgrounds)

Students should indicate that as a realist novel, P&P reflects many of the

concerns of its time:

Socially: students may refer to the importance of marriage and property

for women at the time, to gender stereotypes of women's

accomplishments, to the emphasis on the role of intellect and reason in

social relationships, to class structure, to the role of parenting, etcPolitically: students may refer to the fear of Jacobinism and rebellion, the

impact of the French Revolution in giving in to emotions and subverting

traditional authority, or to Austen's conservatism.Religiously: students should refer to the Evangelical Spirit that

emphasized seriousness in behaviour, and condemned shows of

emotionalism and frivolity.

2. key critical terms like: realism, patriarchal ideology, accomplished

women, subversion, sentimentalism, Jacobinism, Evangelical Spirit,

dialogic discourse, and hybridity.

B. Cognitive Skills

1. Students should be able to give different interpretations of the text.

2. Students should be able to distinguish the novel's dialogic nature: the

subversion of society's ideologies coexists with the adherence to moral

Puritanism; realism is undermined by fairy tale sub-plots; there's more

than one truth in any text.

3. Examples from the novel should be given.


16/24


C. Key Skills

1. Students should be able to construct a coherent argument that

engages in literary criticism of the novel such as Butler's,

Armstrong's, Moers's and Morris's.

2. Students should be able to identify relevant material.D. Practical and/or Professional Skills

1. students should be able to identify major figures in the text

2. students should maintain focus on the key terms of the question

3. students should maintain a clear essay form using

correct language skills: grammar, spelling of names, title

of books, key terms.

Jane Eyre as social comment:

The answer may state that the1840s saw the rise of the condition of

Englandnovel(Carlyle)(p83,RN). Both P&P and JE were influenced by

the anxiety of revolutionary tendencies in Europe.Marxist critic, Terry

Eagleton,has examined the novel in relation to issues of class.(p83). In

his "Myths of Class,he analyses Jane Eyres conditon as exiled from her

class, and as both trying to challenge and to conform with the social

order. Jane challenges the restraints against the education of women,and

their right to employment.Yet her ideal, Helen Burns, represents a

professional teacher who symbolizes sacrifice and self restraint.In the end

of the novel,Jane marries, and therby conforms to the social norm.

The novel was seen by some critics as subversive.Jane asserts her

equality with her employer, and considers the Reeds her torturers, and

herself a revolted slave.She refuses to groom for the marriage market

like Blanche , and plays the piano,a symbol of feminine passivity, only a

little.She takes up the job of a governess(considered dishonourable for

women),to be independent financially, and resists the temptation of

becoming Rochesters mistress.

The answer may refer to Susan Gubar and Sandra Gilberts feministwork,"Madwoman in the Attic(with a reference to Bertha Mason in JE)

which discusses the misrepresentation of women in male literature.JE is a

written in line with this view.

LOs:

Knowledge:

The answer may

*refer to the social background of the novel:a period of feminine revolt.

*discuss JE as a novel of both revolt and conformity to social norms


17/24


Cognitive:

* keep to the focal points: social themes

*substantiate the answer with reference to critics and their

works:Eagleton(Myths of Power), Susan Gubar and Sandra

Gilbert(Madwoman)*draw examples from the novels of relevant events and characters.

Language:

May be written in correct English grammar, correct spelling of writers

and titles of books, use of quotation marks, etc.

SECTION TWO: Question Three

The Realist Novel was a liberal and moral genre, and showed sympathy

for the Other, the underdog.

Discuss with reference to either Great Expectations or to Fathers and

Sons.

(Key ideas to discuss:liberal,moral,sympathy,the Other)

The answer may begin by defining the term The Other : a class or

section of a society which is marginalized and underprivileged in

comparison to others. Examples of this type in the two novels are: women

in 19th century Europe, affected by a cultural stereotyped attitude to them,

the economically disadvantaged, the victims of commercial class

divide,the criminal and neglected children in an industrialized society, the

serfs or farmers in feudal Russia.

InGreat Expectations(GE), the underprivileged are the poor represented

by Pip, the criminal Magwitch chased by the law, and brutalized and

manipulated children,Pip, Magwitch ,and Estella.The answer may refer

to the industrial revolution and the colonial expansion of England , which

created a wide gap between the few rich and respected , and the large

sections of deprived people who suffered dehumanization.In thisregard,we may refer to Edward Saids essay Culture and Imperialism.

The answer may further go on to state that the novel shows a distinct

sympathy for these characters .Magwitch is a criminal only because he

suffered a brutal childhood . At heart he is shown to be quite humane and

soft . He loves Pip like a father, and leaves him money to be educated

.While the law pronounces him a scourge, Pip thinks of Magwitch

otherwise . He prays to God at his deathbed to forgive him. Pips own

desire for upward mobility and turning away from relatives and friends, is

the result of the respect he lacked in Estellas(and societys) eyes. Estellais manipulated by Miss Havisham . Reference may be made to the writer,


18/24


Dickens own miserable suffering as a child (he worked in a

bootblacking factory, and his parents went to debtors prison).These

moulded him as reformer,and as an advocate for the underdog.

Fathers and Sons :

Again the answer may begin by defining the concept of the Other as

earlier.In F&S, the serfs find themselves as the underprivileged in a

rigidly stratified, age-old feudal society.The novelists sympathy is shown

through the protagonist , Bazarov, an intellectual educated in Moscow .

He finds the class divide unjust, and Kirsanov and his father who

represent the landlords , anachronisms in the present world . Bazarov

wants to reform this .Though he fails to realize his dreams , the novel did

affect the readers of the time. A year after its publication, the Czaremancipated the serfs , and asked them to be partners in the ownership

and management of the land .

The other section of Russian society who suffered discrimintion were the

women . Catherine the Great introduced reforms to stop wife beating and

mutilation, and permitted women to study in universities.. In the novel,

Odintsova and Kukshina are educated women,who assert their

independence from men . In fact, they are portrayed as femme fatales .

Odintsova destroys Bazarov psychologically,and Kukshina vows to

defend female freedom .

Unlike Pip in GE ,Bazarov is not himself a victim of the class divide , but

his sympathies for the serf arise from a sense of injustice .

LOs:

The answers should:

*refer to the different historical backgrounds in the two novels that cause

the class divide in the two countries*must specify the sections of society marginalized: the poor, the serfs,

criminals, neglected children

Cognitive:

*keep to the focal ideas:the Other , sympathy

*define the Other.

*draw examples from the novels: the problems of Pip, Bazarov, Serfs,

etc.

*present the arguments coherently in correct logic : definition,historicalbackground, the related events and effects


19/24


*compare the two novels briefly in their treatment of this topic

Language:

Write in correct grammar, correctly spell names and titles of books and

essays,and use quotation marks.

SECTION THREE

Do either Question fouror Question Five

Question Four:

Discuss the Romantic features of the poem,"Lucy",or of the untitled

poem by John Clare given below. Show how the language helps the poet

to convey his meaning and feelings(Refer to the figures of speech and

poetic devices).

"Lucy" (William Wordsworth)

She dwelt among the untrodden ways

Beside the springs of Dove,

A Maid whom there were none to praise

And very few to love:

A violet by a mossy stone

Half hidden from the eye!

-- Fair as a star, when only oneIs shining in the sky.

She lived unknown, and few could know

When Lucy ceased to be;

But she is in her grave, and, oh,

The difference to me!

Untitled:John Clare


20/24


I am-- yet what I am none cares or knows,

My friends forsake me like a memory lost;

I am the self-consumer of my woes,-----

They rise and vanish in oblivion's host,Like shadows in love's frenzied stifled throes:---

And yet I am, and live---like vapours tost

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,

Into the living sea of waking dreams,

Where there is neither sense of life or joys,

But the vast shipwreck of my lifes esteems;

Even the dearest,that I love the best -Are strange - nay, rather stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man hath never trod,

A place where woman never smiled or wept;

There to abide with my Creator, God,

And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept:

Untroubling and untroubled where I lie, -

The grass below - above the vaulted sky.

Romantic Features and Language in the poem,"Lucy":

The answer may point out the following features of Romantic poetry :

1)The poem has a focus on the poet,Wordsworth's individual feelings

about the loss of a girl called Lucy.It is not revealed who this girl is.But

the words,"O the difference to me " shows his deep sense of loss . Thepoem is an elegy since it is written in praise of the dead girl.

2) The girl Lucy is compared to objects in nature:"a violet under a

mossy stone /Half hidden from the eye ", and "Fair as a star/When only

one is shining in the sky."

The effective use of these figures of speech may be mentioned: the first

is a metaphor and brings out the unseen beauty of the girl. The second is

simile and shows her uniqueness.

3) The poet portrays Lucy first as an ordinary girl ,living by " the springsof Dove ". Later ,it shows her to be extraordinary . She is as unique as


21/24


mentioned earlier . This quality of seeing things above the normal, is

called "transcendence", and was a common feature of Romantic poetry.

LOs

The answer should:

*refer to the three features of Romantic poetry specifically:personal

feeling,allusion to nature,transcendence

*show how these are brought out effectively by figures of speech.

Cognitive:

*should explain or define the literary terms used:elegy,transcendence

*quote words or phrases from the poem as examples:"fair as a star"

*Language:should be correct.

John Clare's Poem

(Untitled(

The answer may specifically mention the three features of Romantic

poetry found in this poem:1) Again,as in "Lucy", the poet draws attention ,even more strongly, to

his personal state of mind:"I am"at the beginning of the poem indicates

this is what the poem will be about.In fact, personal

pronouns(I,me,my,are used thirteen times in the poem). Later words are

used to indicate that the poet is despaired, alienated, and has lost all hope

about any meaning in life:"friends forsake me,"self-consumer of my

woes". Life has no substance or meaning: This idea is brought out

effectively by various figures of speech:the simile"like vapours"(that fly

off and disappear),the metaphor,"a sea of dreams","a shipwreck""Into the

nothingness"

2) The second feature to note is transcendence,an escape to a paradise

like state. The imagery that indicates this are:"a place where man hath

never trod",abide with my creator",sleep as in childhood".

3Allusions to nature:

"grass belowabove the vaulted sky".

LOs:


22/24


The answer should point to the three features of Romantic poetry

:personal feeling,desire for transcendence, allusion to nature.

*show how the various figures of speech effectively suggest the poet's

great sense of meaninglessness.

Cognitive:*should keep the focus :romantic features and language that show these

*quote the relevant words

*define the terms used

Language :

Correct grammar, spelling, quotation marks

Question Five:

Discuss the historical background of the poem,"Ozymandias", andpoint out the use of language to help convey the poet's meaning and

point of view.

Ozymandiasby

Percy Bysshe ShelleyI met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said--"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert....Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear;

my name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decayOf that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away."

The answer may begin by stating that Romantic poetry can best be

understood in the light of historical facts . (It is a reading in history).The

title of this poem is the Greek name for the Pharoah ,Rameses11, whose

relics may have been seen by Shelley, maybe in the British Museum . He

was inspired to write this poem to give a message to his

contemporaries("Poets are messengers of mankind",he said): The
http://www.rc.umd.edu/rchs/pbsbio.htmhttp://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#1')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#2')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#3')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#4')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#5')http://www.rc.umd.edu/rchs/pbsbio.htmhttp://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#1')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#2')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#3')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#4')http://openfootnote%20%28%27ozynotes.htm/#5')


23/24


message is that all worldly glory passes away and all boast of victory on

earth is vain.

The relics of Rameses the Second tell us that a few thousand years after

his death, his statue is lying in ruins in the desert: two vast and trunkless

legs',"half sunk a shattered visage lies. Nobody is there to fear him andshow him the reverence he commanded when alive. The awe caused by

him and his pride is still "stamped" on the broken face :"frown and

wrinkled smile of cold command".

His boast written on a pedestal nearby "I am King of kings/Look on my

works ye mighty and despair", stands in ironic contrast to the sands all

around . "Nothing besides remainsthe lone and level sands stretch far

away".Note the foregrounding (bringing forward;this may also be called

word inversion)of the word "nothing" which stresses the idea of the

pharoah's vanished glory. Note the alliteration in the repetition of theletters"l" and "s"in the last sentence. These suggest the continuous sand

and emptiness around the ruins.

The answer may point out that Shelley may have been thinking of

Napoleon,who having conquered most of Europe, was at the time the

poem was written, a prisoner. Indirectly he is like the pharaoh in hisvanished glory.Also it may be pointed that while the sculptors work

still remains, the pharoahs glory and that of all conquerors has

passed away.

LOs:

The answer should:

*specify the historical background of the poem, its reference to Pharoah

Rameses11.

*point to the nature of his glory now passed from the earth*compare the pharoah's state to that of Napoleon and other conquerors in

history

*state that Shelley was like the revolutionary poets of the Romantic

period , giving a message

Cognitive:

*should cite examples of words that strongly suggest the historical

message of the poem,show the pharoah's vanished glory


24/24


* explain the figures of speech and their effective use:

alliteration,foregrounding or word inversion.

Language :be written in correct English : correct spelling(Pharaoh

Rameses11, Napoleon, Shelley, Ozymandias)

The End

a210 final exam january 2007 answer notes

Documents