During this week’s Classroom Discussion Board, you will answer questions based on MLA style, the class novel (The Hate U Give), and your chosen banned/challenged book for this course:
1. After reviewing the MLA PowerPoint in the Unit I Module, please describe in-text citations and the importance of them.
2. What is a Work(s) Cited page?
3. As Starr and Khalil listen to Tupac, Khalil explains what Tupac said “Thug Life” meant. Discuss the meaning of the term “Thug Life” as an acronym and why the author might have chosen part of this as the title of the book. In what ways do you see this in society today?
4. Chapter 2 begins with Starr flashing back to two talks her parents had with her when she was young. One was about sex (“the usual birds and bees”). The second was about what precautions to take when encountering a police officer. Have you had a similar conversation about what to do when stopped by the police? Reflect upon or imagine this conversation.
5. What book have you chosen for the banned/challenged book literary analysis presentation? Please describe why you have chosen to analyze this book. (Please note that there is a set of libguides found in the Unit I Module that provides a summary of all the banned/challenged books for your perusal.)
(50 points total–10 points per question)
Scoring Guide:
Excellent (50): Exceeds expectations; demonstrates exceptional performance.
Good (40-49): Meets expectations; demonstrates proficiency and understanding.
Fair (30-39): Partially meets expectations; demonstrates some proficiency but with room for improvement.
Poor (0-29): Does not meet expectations; demonstrates limited proficiency and understanding.
Banned Books (by the way, you can easily retrieve these books from our ESCC Library–we have many copies in circulation!):
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Ulysses, by James Joyce
The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
1984, by George Orwell
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Native Son, by Richard Wright
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The end of Beowulf
Now, we are nearing the end of this epic hero’s story; please respond to at least THREE of the discussion questions below in complete and thoughtful sentences. Use examples from the text, if you must, but please make sure to provide lengthy responses to each of your chosen questions. Each question is worth 10 points for a total of 30 points (see Scoring Rubric below):
1. What weapon(s) does Beowulf use in his fight against Grendel’s mother? How do these weapons differ from those he used against Grendel?
2. Compare and contrast Grendel’s mother with Grendel in terms of their motives, behaviors, and physical attributes.
3. How do the reactions of the Danes and Hrothgar differ after Beowulf’s victory over Grendel’s mother compared to his victory over Grendel? What does this reveal about their beliefs and values?
4. What prompts Beowulf to confront the dragon? How does this decision reflect Beowulf’s character and his sense of duty?
5. Describe the dragon’s lair and the atmosphere surrounding Beowulf’s encounter with the dragon. How does the setting contribute to the tension and drama of the battle?
6. What thematic elements are present in Beowulf’s battle with the dragon? How does this confrontation reflect larger themes of heroism, fate, and mortality in the epic poem?
7. What is the aftermath of Beowulf’s battle with the dragon? How do the Geats and other characters react to Beowulf’s victory and subsequent death? What legacy does Beowulf leave behind?
