Write a 900 word essay. Address one (1) of the following topics:

1. Compare and contrast Life is a Dream and The Peach Blossom Fan. Identify the cultural differences reflected by the plays (including references to the YouTube performance samples if desired). If there are any similarities, speculate as to what aspects of shared common human experience they represent.

2. Compare and contrast Don Quixote and The Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber). Identify the cultural differences reflected by the stories. If there are any similarities, speculate as to what aspects of shared common human experience they represent.

3. Compare and contrast any three of the poems in this unit and discuss how they reflect the Early Modern idea of introspection - looking inward and individual self-reflection.