Which literary device involves a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant?
Homer's epic poem The Odyssey primarily explores themes of:
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a foundational text in African literature that critiques:
Which of the following is not a typical characteristic of an epic hero?
The character archetype often associated with wisdom, guidance, and sometimes a magical helper is the:
Gabriel García Márquez, a Nobel laureate, is most closely associated with which literary movement?
Understanding the historical and societal conditions in which a literary work was created is crucial for appreciating its:
Excerpt from Nelson Mandela's Inaugural Speech, 1994
"We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace. We have triumphed in the struggle for freedom and justice. We thank you all for taking up this challenge. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves."
Which rhetorical appeal is most evident in Mandela's repeated use of "We have," "We pledge," and "We commit ourselves"?
The repetition of "Let there be..." in the final sentences primarily serves to:
Excerpt from Malala Yousafzai's UN Speech, 2013
"Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The wise saying, "The pen is mightier than sword" was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. This is why they tried to silence us."
Malala uses the contrast between "light" and "darkness," and "pens and books" versus "guns." This literary device is known as:
When Malala states, "The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them," she is primarily appealing to:
Excerpt from The Declaration of Independence, 1776
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident" is a direct appeal to:
The use of elevated, formal language ("When in the Course of human events," "unalienable Rights") primarily contributes to the text's:
Excerpt from an Op-Ed on Environmental Responsibility
"For too long, we have treated our planet as an inexhaustible resource, a bottomless well of bounty. The undeniable evidence of climate change—melting glaciers, rising sea levels, extreme weather events—screams a clear warning. It is not merely an inconvenience; it is an existential threat. We must act now, not just for ourselves, but for the generations yet unborn who will inherit the consequences of our inaction."
The author's use of phrases like "inexhaustible resource" and "bottomless well of bounty" followed by "screams a clear warning" is an example of:
The appeal to "generations yet unborn" is a strong example of:
Excerpt from Chinua Achebe's *Things Fall Apart*
"Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father, he was not lazy and improvident and was determined to conquer his own circumstances. He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look. He breathed heavily, and on his walks his heels hardly touched the ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody or something. And he did pounce on people quite often."
Analyze how Achebe's description of Okonkwo in this excerpt establishes his character and foreshadows his role in the novel. Refer to specific literary elements used.
Excerpt from Homer's *The Odyssey* (Fagles translation)
"A man who has been through bitter experiences and traveled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time. He can look back on them and say, 'That was a test for me, and I came through it.' But the man who has lived at home all his life, and never known any suffering, never faced any danger, cannot know the same joy. For him, life is just a journey of pleasant days. But for the wanderer, every sunrise is a triumph."
How does this excerpt from The Odyssey reflect the cultural value placed on struggle and experience in ancient Greek society? Provide specific evidence from the text.
Excerpt from Gabriel García Márquez's *One Hundred Years of Solitude*
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. Macondo was then a village of twenty adobe houses, built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs. The world was so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point."
Identify and analyze one element of Magical Realism present in this opening paragraph. How does it contribute to the novel's unique tone?
How does the description of Macondo in its early days establish a sense of both innocence and limitless possibility?
Compare and contrast how the theme of 'fate vs. free will' is explored in The Odyssey and Things Fall Apart. Discuss how each work's cultural context influences this exploration.
Synthesis Essay: The Nature of Progress
Text A: Excerpt from 'The Story of Civilization, Vol. I: Our Oriental Heritage' by Will Durant "Every civilization is born of struggle, thrives on conflict, and dies of ease. In the youth of a civilization, there is an intense struggle against nature and neighboring tribes; this molds character and generates energy. As wealth accumulates and comforts multiply, the fibre of the people softens, and the culture declines. Progress is thus a perilous enterprise, demanding continuous vigilance."
Text B: Excerpt from 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft "It is time to effect a revolution in female manners—time to restore to them their lost dignity—and make them, as a part of the human species, labor by improving their minds and morals, to obtain a share in the grand scene of human improvement. Education is the key; for only through cultivated reason can women contribute fully to the progress of society, rather than being mere ornamental creatures."
Text C: Poem Excerpt: 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away."
Prompt: The provided texts offer different perspectives on the concept of "progress"—its origins, its true nature, and its potential limitations or failures. Write an essay that synthesizes at least two of the provided sources and develops a position on what constitutes true human progress. Support your claim with evidence from the texts.
Write a well-organized argumentative essay (approximately 300-500 words) that synthesizes information from at least two of the provided texts and develops your own clear, arguable claim in response to the prompt: What constitutes true human progress?
Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Steve Jobs's Stanford Commencement Address (2005)
"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out, they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a wait list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: 'We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?' They said: 'Of course.' My biological mother found out later that my mother had not graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting."
Analyze how Steve Jobs uses rhetorical strategies, including appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos, and stylistic choices (such as anecdote, tone, and diction) in this excerpt to achieve his purpose of connecting with and inspiring the Stanford graduating class. Discuss the effectiveness of these strategies.
Scenario: You have been asked to give a 5-minute persuasive presentation to your classmates on 'The Enduring Relevance of Ancient Epics in Modern Society.' Outline your presentation by providing:
- A clear thesis statement.
- Three main points that support your thesis.
- For each main point, identify one specific ancient epic (e.g., The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Ramayana) and explain what type of evidence (e.g., character actions, thematic messages, literary devices) you would use from that text to support your point.