Short Paper #1 assignment: due Sept.13th

Short Paper #1 (of 3): Writings of Love and Beauty

Poems: Ancient Egyptian Love Songs, Sappho’s Fragments, Classical Indian Poets, Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale

Choose ONE of the following options...

[Click below to see the entire assignment]

Option #1: How do poems/songs of love discuss the role of women throughout history?  Since love was usually the one theme that allowed women to be present (unlike war, politics, history, etc.), how did poets imagine the dreams, desires, ideas, and inner life of women?  From Sappho to Chaucer, how has poetry allowed women to ‘unclothe’ themselves in literature?  Discuss at least 3 poems in your paper, and use ‘close reading’ techniques to help us see specific ideas that contribute to the overall conversation. 

Option #2: These poems are some of the first works to create the conversation about love and beauty in the humanities.  Ever since, we’ve used them—whether consciously or not—to discuss how we love, why we love, and what we find beautiful or meaningful in the world.  Discuss a song, film, poem, or book from our world that seems to echo some of these early works.  Examine the modern work and use close readings to compare specific ideas, lines, and philosophies from one century to the next.

Option #3: Love is an abstract concept that cannot be seen, held, or truly understood without experiencing it. However, through metaphors and imagery, poetry can help us ‘see’ another person’s experience with love and, in turn, can teach us different ways to understand and appreciate it.  From the poems in this unit, what do we learn about the nature of love? Is it an illusion?  A path to truth?  Does it make us selfish—or selfless?  Discuss 3-4 poems in our selection to enter into this timeless debate. 

REMEMBER:

• Make this paper a conversation between you, the poets in our anthology, and modern ideas on the topic.  Use ideas from class discussion to fill in the ‘dinner table’ and write a work that ‘responds’ rather than simply ‘says.’ 
• When discussing poetry, always avoid summary: analyze literature through close readings.  Examine individual words, lines, and passages that help us ‘see’ the work.
• Have trouble getting started?  Just start writing about one of the poems.  This doesn’t have to be your first paragraph, but you can use it elsewhere, and it will help you see other ideas and connections.

Required Length: At least 3-4 pages, but can be longer

Quotations: You must quote from the poems and cite them correctly using MLA format (see blog for details). 

Due in 2 weeks, Friday, September 13^th by 5pm