Choose one of the following topics for a paper due Thursday, October 7 (for all sections, including those not normally meeting on Thursday). Use only your ability to interpret and explain the text itself. Do not look online for supplemental information.
Topic 1
Using only the evidence of Paradise Lost, Book 9, lines 834 – 1189 (N.B. Not all of these lines were assigned or discussed in class), describe the relationship between Adam and Eve as Milton presents it.
Topic 2
After his final encounter with the Green Knight, Gawain takes the green belt because he will “remember with shame the faults and the frailty of the flesh perverse, how its tenderness entices the foul taint of sin.” Yet Arthur and his court celebrate Gawain and “agree with gay laughter and gracious intent that the lords and the ladies . . .a baldric should have . . of a bright green, to be worn with one accord for that worthy’s sake.”
In your opinion, is the green belt a symbol of Gawain’s failure or of his worth as a knight? Support your interpretation with brief references to the text.
Notes
Topic 1
Using only the evidence of Paradise Lost, Book 9, lines 834 – 1189 (N.B. Not all of these lines were assigned or discussed in class), describe the relationship between Adam and Eve as Milton presents it.
Topic 2
After his final encounter with the Green Knight, Gawain takes the green belt because he will “remember with shame the faults and the frailty of the flesh perverse, how its tenderness entices the foul taint of sin.” Yet Arthur and his court celebrate Gawain and “agree with gay laughter and gracious intent that the lords and the ladies . . .a baldric should have . . of a bright green, to be worn with one accord for that worthy’s sake.”
In your opinion, is the green belt a symbol of Gawain’s failure or of his worth as a knight? Support your interpretation with brief references to the text.
Notes
- As before, use only the assigned reading as a source. Do not seek additional material from any secondary source.
- Papers are due Thursday, October 7 for all sections, both hard copy and turnitin.com.
- For quoted material, use parenthetical line numbers rather than pages.
- Suggested lengths: 750 words (2-3 pages) for English IV, 1000 words (3-4 pages) for AP students.
- Check here for important reminders about heading, format, and style.
