Winter Break: Read a book!

This assignment is worth 25 extra credit points for second semester.
Please tell us the name of the book and the author, and very briefly summarize the plot (no more than 5 sentences). Although brief, this summary needs to be thorough. Then, answer this in a well formed, brief paragraph (no more than 7 sentences): Why would you consider this to be a book of "literary merit"? In case you are unclear about how the College Board defines literary merit, here is the text I gave you in class, via the College Board:
 
Books of literary merits represent works from various genres and periods. The works chosen should invite and gratify rereading. Reading in an AP course should be both wide and deep. This reading necessarily builds upon the reading done in previous English courses. These courses should include the in-depth reading of texts drawn from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. In their AP course, students should also read works from several genres and periods -- from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century -- but, more importantly, they should get to know a few works well. They should read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form. In addition to considering a work's literary artistry, students should consider the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Careful attention to both textual detail and historical context should provide a foundation for interpretation, whatever critical perspectives are brought to bear on the literary works studied.

This assignment is due on January 4th by 9 p.m.

Happy reading!

Ms. Delman

Reason vs. Rashness

"Oedipus lacks reason throughout the play. He is a stubborn individual; he will not give up the search for truth. He is too dense to understand that when Jocasta tells Oedipus to stop the quest for knowledge in his origins, he believes that it is because of social class." Why is this significant to the play as a whole?

Fate vs. Free will

To what extent is Oedipus a dupe of the gods who have sealed his fate? To what extent does Oedipus bring about his own downfall?  [Hint: If someone prophesied that you would kill your father and marry your mother, the prudent person would avoid killing all men and resist marrying an older woman.] Why do you think the gods are so nasty to Oedipus? Do you think Oedipus has any free will, or is he just a plaything of the gods?

Sight vs. Moral Blindness

Oedipus can see, but he arrogantly believes that he can circumvent prophecy; Tiresias cannot see physically, but he is expert at divining the will of the gods. Discuss the significance of physical and moral blindness in the play. Give some examples of how the symbols of blindness/sight are connected with the ideas regarding ignorance/knowledge in this play. How do you think the solution to the riddle illustrates Oedipus' knowledge and ignorance?

Truth vs. Lies

Who lies to Oedipus and who tells him the truth?  How do truth and lies help determine O's actions during his life?  Who do you think is responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus? (Some candidates: the gods [Apollo], fate, Oedipus' hubris, Tiresias, Jocasta and Laius, the sphinx.)

Oedipus Rex Dichotomies assignment

Hello students,

Your assignment is to (1) respond (in a couple paragraphs) to one of the following prompts and then to (2) respond to a comment made by a classmate. It doesn't need to be on the same prompt that you commented on.

Enjoy the end of the play!

Ms. Delman