As per your syllabus, your final essay should a minimum of 1,500 words, which is roughly
4 double-spaced type-written pages.
Your essay must be uploaded to your TAs section by Tuesday, June 9th, 5pm PST.
Write two essays choosing two of the topics below.
(1) Robinson 1.0 goes into nature and conquers it. Robinson 2.0 goes into nature and
is conquered, but also reborn. What enables the first Robinson to civilize nature?
What causes the second Robinson a way to succumb to nature, and what
philosophy of life does he propose?
(2) Explain the different ways in which the situations or characters in The Death of
Ivan Ilyich, 1984, and The Fall are consequences to the so-called death of God
(in less flamboyant terms, a secularized view of existence, knowledge, and
morality)?
(3) Of the six novels we have read, and which represent six facets of the Western
identity in the modern period, which one you would argue describes most
accurately and convincingly our current situation. Be specific in identifying the
salient moral and existential characteristics of your chosen novel (novels) and in
explaining why they are most relevant to what you take to be our present
concerns.
(4) The quest for personal self-realization underpins many of the stories we have read
this quarter. In the modern period, self-realization is often experienced as a clash
with social cohesion. Choose three novels and compare their treatment of this
tension.
(5) Which, of all the main characters seen this quarter, comes close to your idea of a
hero and heroine? Start by laying out and justifying your notion of what a hero is,
then explain why your chosen character embodies this heroic principle, in action
and conviction.
