ENGL 2333.001 Spring 2005 Prof. Murphy

Final Examination

Part I Short Answers (2 pts apiece total of 20 pts)

Either define term or answer the following question in FULL.

1) Who were the people who started the Suffrage Movement and what was its aim?

2) What were the Fagan and Sauer Commissions, which one was implemented and what were the final results of that implementation?

3) Name four major events that shaped 1968?

4) Which Harlem Renaissance writer wrote Color, what year was it published and what is the significance of this particular text?

5) Name three artists of the New York School and from what style did their art evolve?

6) Who is Mario Savio and what impact did his words have on the 60s?

7) Name two women musicians that have made a difference since the 60s and discuss which one has empowered women most?

8) Who painted “Nude Descending a Staircase” and what style is it painted and where was it first shown in public?

9) Define Modernism?

10) Define postmodernism?

11) According to Descartes, what are the two tests that determine if one is human?

12) According to Cohen, what are the monster’s “two living stories?”

13) According to Didion, what is a foehn wind and why is it significant?

14) According to Jameson, the underside of postmodern culture contains what four aspects?

15) Who is High John de Conquer and what does he signify?

Part II Essay (30 pts)

Write a FULL essay on ONE of the three questions. If a text or ideas are mentioned then you need to discuss it in conjunction with the other texts. Be sure to use specific examples.

1) In Their Eyes Are Watching God, Things Fall Apart and Less Than Zero the roles of woman vary greatly because of social control. However, at least one particular female role in each text has categorical fluidity into male roles. Compare these differences of social power of each particular female role and argue which you believe maintains the best consolidation of power.

2) In Their Eyes Are Watching God, Things Fall Apart and Less Than Zero musical representation of culture and character pervades the narratives; however, each text’s the narrator/protagonist’s awareness of the music significantly has an effect on their perception. Discuss this perception, its importance through these narratives and to their cultures.

3) In Yates’ poem “The Second Coming” the third line “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;” is a fundamental aspect of Their Eyes Are Watching God, Things Fall Apart and Less Than Zero. Discuss what exactly falls apart in these narratives and the different effect that action has on the narrator/protagonist for each text and finally, which apartness is the most destructive culturally and why?

4) The body is discussed, attacked, and desecrated in Their Eyes Are Watching God, Things Fall Apart and Less Than Zero. Using Descartes & Cohen’s notions of the body, discuss the importance of these actions within each text with the significance towards the cultures they represent.

5) Janie, Okonkwo & Clay are at the fringes of their culture that is they are outcasts in their own society, what character trait(s) sets them apart from the crowd, what significance does their narrative have to their culture?