Oliver Twist Assignment
The exam should be typed, single spaced and no longer than 2 pages total.
Students should have a heading. Failure to have a heading will result in a 5 point penalty. Also, I want to remind students that spelling and grammar counts.
The file should be saved as Last, First name Final Exam. I will deduct 5 points for incorrect file names. Please number your responses and only include the answer.
No copying and pasting answers from my power points or from any outside source. Any cheating will result in a zero for the exam.
NO LATE EXAMS. I do not accept late exams and do not accept them in email. Make sure you submit in plenty of time to get help with any computer problems.
The first section is paragraph length answers and should not be longer than 4 sentences each.
There is a correct answer I am looking for, so do not just ramble and hope you will hit it. I will only read the first 4 sentences.
Section I: The questions and quotes below focus on an important or central theme or idea within a text or presentation. Examine each question or quote carefully and then write no more than 4 sentences answering the question.
1. From Murder on the Orient Express:
Why did Agatha Christie choose a train as her setting? What point is she trying to make about the type of crime Cassetti committed?
2. From Murder on the Orient Express:
The murderers of Cassetti claim that "We were civilized people and then evil got over the wall. The law let us down ... [and] when you are denied justice, you are incomplete ... I did what was right."
In your own words, explain the reasoning of the vigilantes in the movie. Do you think they found the peace they were after? Why or why not?
3. From Murder on the Orient Express:
Poirot provides this counter argument; "You behave like this and we become savages in the street... The rule of law must be held high. If it falls you pick it up and hold it even higher. For all civilized people will have nothing to shelter them if it is destroyed."
In your own words, explain what Poirot means.
4. From Oliver Twist:
Dickens describes the mob that corners Sikes as immense and infuriated: "Of all the terrific yells that ever fell on mortal ears, none could exceed the cry of the infuriated throng. Some shouted to those who were nearest to set the house on fire; others roared to the officers to shoot him dead."
Explain, in your own words, why the criminals of the East End turn on Sikes and hunt him down.
5. From Oliver Twist and Murder on the Orient Express:
Decide which character is most victimized and explain your reasoning. You only need to choose one character. The character can be from either the book or the film.
6. From Oliver Twist and Murder on the Orient Express:
Decide which character is the most heroic and explain your reasoning. You only need to choose one character. The character can be from either the book or the film.
7. Film Question on Murder on the Orient Express:
In the novel of Murder on the Orient Express, Poirot does not argue with the murderers of Cassetti. He approves of their deed and even comes up with the lie about an assassin leaving through the window. Why do you think the filmmakers decided to make him struggle with the decision?
Section II: Long Essay. Write an organized essay that responds to the prompt succinctly and clearly. The essay portion should be in the same file as the paragraph questions and typed, single spaced. Do not go over the 2 page maximum for the entire exam. Section is worth 30 points.
Consider all of the themes this semester: Poverty, Nature Vs. Nurture, Crime, Violence and Family. In a 2-3 paragraph essay explain which theme you found most interesting and why. Support your response with examples, quotes from the novel Oliver Twist and examples from the movie.