Select one of the texts (short-story or poem) from this Unit.

Then briefly discuss the significance of its setting by considering these questions:

When and where is the text set?

What details from the text reveal its historical context?

How does this context shape your understanding of the conflicts explored in the text?

What political and social issues are being raised by the text?

If the story was written much later than the time in which it is set, how does this distance impact the work and your response to it?

If the text is an allegory, what historical and cultural connections do the allegorical elements suggest?

Brass Tacks

Compose a minimum of one substantive, well-written literary analysis. Your paragraph must be 200+ in length and incorporate textual evidence (words, phrases, etc.) that are properly cited (page numbers in parentheses at end of sentence, before the period).

Compose a minimum of two (2) collaborative posts in response to other students' observations and analyses throughout the week at different times. Good responses are 100-200 words and incorporate some form of textual evidence (either from other students' posts or from the course texts). To keep the conversation fluid and clear, be sure to state the name of the person whose post you're responding to: "John, I really liked how you ...."

Review the DISCUSS grading rubric posted in the syllabus for guidance.

Remember to use present tense when discussing literary texts or arguments.

Stories to choose from:

Thomas Hardy, "The Convergence of the Twain"

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/47266Langston

Susan Glaspell, "A Jury of Her Peers" http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/story/fulltext.html

Nadine Gordimer, "The Train from Rhodesia"
http://www.textword.com/pdf/TR_91_Grodimer_Train%20from.pdf

Jomo Kenyatta, "The Gentlemen of the Jungle"

http://bhscurtright.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/0/9/4909154/the_gentlemen_of_the_j ungle__by_jomo_kenyatta.pdf