Mr. Julius' English 4 For Seniors

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

FINAL EXAM 2008: Part One

Honors American Literature Final: Spring 2008
Mr. Julius

Ø Directions: Choose and complete TWO of the following essay prompts.
Ø Each essay should be at least 1 to 1.5 pages in length. Start each essay on a new page.
Ø Each essay must be typed, double-spaced, 12 pt font, and all the other usual requirements.
Ø DUE: FRIDAY, JUNE 6th – 3:15 p.m.

1. Death is a very common theme in literature. Most cultures and time periods of world history have been fascinated with the concept of death. Choose TWO works we studied this school year and explain how death plays a role in each story. For example, how does death affect the central characters? What is the author’s attitude towards death? Also, how does death (or possible death) impact or change the story?

2. Making big decisions is usually a conflict of main characters in literature. Choose TWO characters and analyze the ‘big decisions’ they make. Do they make decisions freely, or are they forced to make decisions? Also, how does their decision impact the story? Analyze what you believe to be the important decisions of major characters. This question has no real right or wrong answer, but you must support your opinions and arguments.

3. As we know, setting is an important and sometimes overlooked feature of a novel or story. Choose TWO works and evaluate the ways in which each setting (or multiple settings) contributes to the story. Questions to consider are how the setting impacts the story, the characters’ relationships to the setting, and why the author chose a particular setting.