Each bulleted item below is a separate Quest. Everyone should complete at least one Quest from this category. Plan to write at least 400 words and feel free to write more.
Contradictory Viewpoints. Begin by choosing one of these two debates.
Debate One: Tess is more agent than victim; she is ultimately more accountable than not for the things that happen to her. VS. Tess is more victim than agent; ultimately, she is not really at fault for the things that happen to her.
OR
Debate Two: Lady Audleys Secret is a feminist novel. VS. Lady Audleys Secret is not a feminist novel. [If you choose this one, give some thought to what a feminist novel is. Some novels do feminist work by demonstrating the virtues of characters or practices that challenge traditional ideas about gender, while others do so by showing the harm caused by patriarchal structures or by strict adherence to traditional roles and still others by incorporating reflections or events that challenges us to think differently about gender.]
Whichever debate your choose. write 1-2 paragraphs supporting the first position in your debate, using specific examples and reasons. Then write 1-2 paragraphs supporting the other position. In the final paragraph, explain why one position seems stronger than the other.
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Character Traits Choose two characters from the novel to work with. They can be major characters or minor ones. For each character, identify three defining (or at least important) character traits. [You may use bullet points instead of paragraphs if you wish]
For each of the six traits, find three supporting quotations and three supporting actions. [18 quotations and 18 actions total]
[We see how stubborn Katniss is when she declares, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay here and cause all kinds of trouble” (p#) as well as when she heads to the cornucopia despite Haymitchs warning.]
Finally, for each of the two characters, identify 3-5 things that (if they were real people) would be on their playlist or in their Netflix queue or on their To Be Read pile or that they would follow on social media.
Format this however you like. If you prefer to write full sentences and paragraphs, do that. If youd rather make bulleted lists, do that.
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Significant Passage. First, choose a short passage from the novel that you think is especially interesting and/or important in understanding it. This passage will probably be between a half-paragraph and a paragraph but may occasionally be two short paragraphs.
Second, cut and paste the passage into your document.
Third, after re-reading the passage a few times, identify some of the details of the passage that you think are important in understanding what the novel is saying or showing. What should an attentive reader notice in this passage, and how might noticing them help us better understand the big picture of the novel? Cite specific examples and clearly explain how they forward the point you are trying to make. The bullet points below offer some suggestions about what you might look for, but not every point is applicable to every passage (and you shouldnt try to tackle them all anyway).
What subtle clues are revealed about the character/s involved, that is, their values, motives, biases, or the ways they have changed?
Are there any word choices (or metaphors) that seem especially telling or interesting, that reveal tone or seem ambiguous or have notable connotations?
Do details of setting seem symbolic or otherwise notable?
Are there elements (images, themes, concerns) that seem to be part of a larger pattern in the novel (e.g. that are recurrent)? Elements that seem to dramatically break from earlier patterns?
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Contemporary Issues. This novel engages with social issues, ethical and moral questions, and other cultural concerns that we still wrestle with today. Think, for a moment, about how this is true of other 19th century novels, like Frankenstein, which more obviously deals with biomedical ethics and the risks and temptations of playing God in the lab and less obviously explores issues about how wealth (and the lack thereof) impacts the criminal justice system, often rendering it unjust.
Begin by demonstrating where/how the novel engages with this issue and what position, if any, the novel seems to take (i.e. what the novel seems to be saying and why you think this. In the example above, for example, by showing how many brutal deaths result from the creatures actions, the novel warns us that our scientific ambitions can, if unchecked by ethical considerations, cause grave and unstoppable harm beyond anything we might have anticipated.)
Then demonstrate, using specific examples and reasons, how the issue is still with us today. If you use outside sources, cite them using either MLA or APA.
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