The final exam has two Parts.
Part I asks you to identify passages from the primary texts & to explain how
those passages relate to the larger themes & ideas of the work from which it
comes.
Part II asks you to write an essay of approximately 1000w on one of the texts
studied this term. You will be given an excerpt from an academic article & asked
to make use of it in your short essay on the primary text (ie: identify its argument,
and discuss it in relation to the primary text).
Essays should include: introductory paragraph with thesis, 3 points of
discussion/analysis (one paragraph each), and an effective concluding paragraph.
Here are some sample questions (these sample questions are meant to illustrate
process & format; they are not questions from the actual exam).
Part I
Sample Question:
This question asks you to read the following key passage and comment on what
it reveals about the narrator and the overall theme of the story. Quickly situate
the passage in the story, and then analyze it carefully. What do the narrator’s
comments reveal about him/her and about the relationship with the community
in which he/she lives? How do form and content work together here?
“Mami and Tía spent a lot of time side by side, whispering, and I kept expecting
something to come of this, a brawl maybe. I’d never once been out with my
family when it hadn’t turned to shit. We weren’t even theatrical or straight crazy
like other families. We fought like sixth-graders, without any real dignity. I guess
the whole night I’d been waiting for a blowup, something between Papi and
Mami. This was how I always figured Papi would be exposed, out in public, where
everybody would know.
You’re a cheater!
But everything was calmer than usual. And Mami didn’t look like she was
about to say anything to Papi. The two of them danced every now and then but
they never lasted more than a song before Mami joined Tía again in whatever
conversation they were having.”
Part II
Sample Question:
Read the following excerpt from a secondary source; identify its argument/thesis,
and discuss in relation to Toni Cade Bambara’s “My Man Bovanne”.
“My Man Bovanne,” from her first collection of tales, Gorilla, My Love (1972),
repudiates negative, trivializing cultural stereotypes associated with age by
presenting a female character who is independent and self-confident and thus
counters the invisibility of older women in our society. The narrator, Hazel,
introduces the theme of visibility at the beginning of the story, “Blind people got
a hummin jones if you notice” (3), she observes. She sees that blind man
Bovanne goes unnoticed and is ignored. Visibility is recognized as a form of
authority and power, which Hazel realizes Bovanne lacks (“and notice what no
eyes will force you into see people.” [3]). Whereas Bovanne is invisible due to his
disability, Hazel is invisible as an older woman in a society that values youth and
appearance. The younger generation stands for public opinion and is
characterized through language and political speech. Hazel and Bovanne
communicate with each other on the dance floor through body language and
sensuality:
And I press up close to dance with Bovanne who blind and I’m hummin
and he hummin, chest to chest like talkin … Touch talkin like the heel of
the hand on the tambourine or on a drum. (4)
Observing Bovanne in a wider social context, Hazel comes to see herself through
the eyes of others, at first through the critical eyes of her children representing
the social majority, who no longer perceive her as an individual, and then
through Bovanne in his appreciation of her as a sexually attractive and “very
pretty woman.” Hazel is presented through her perception of herself as a sensual
being, which is supported by Bovanne, and through her children’s perception of
her as asexual and old.”
Maierhofer, Roberta. “Bambara’s “My Man Bovanne.” Explicator, vol. 57, no. 1,
1998, pp. 57.
Study Tips:
- Reread the primary texts (short stories & short novel).
- Review course “NOTES” & audio lectures for key points & analysis of the
primary texts. - Create your own individual study notes from this material.
- In preparation for Part II of the exam, review sample essays posted under
“Resources” tab. The 1000w essay (on the exam) should have a clear
thesis, three points of analysis (supported in part by the secondary source
excerpt) with introduction & conclusion.