Final Exam English IV Essay Questions

Final Exam Essay Questions

English IV-Fall Semester

Listed below are the potential essay questions you will answer for your final exam. You should gather your resources (novels, study guides, lecture notes), review texts, and even sketch out an outline as part of your prepared response for each essay. On the day of the exam, I will assign to you one essay at random. You will be allowed to use notes and/or the text to help you form your response. Please remember that because I am giving you the questions in advance and because it is open book and open note, I EXPECT HIGH QUALITY ESSAYS. That means you will have:

A thesis statement
Clear topic sentences
Supportive quotations w/appropriate citations (3 per essay-minimum)
Explanations as to HOW those quotations support your point
A conclusion
Clear organization—paragraphs!
Few to no grammatical mistakes

History’s Impact on Literature

Within several units of study we have examined how literature directly reflects the historical reality that produced it. Without at least a general understanding of the history of the era, it is difficult to understand the underlying issues of the text. With that in mind, consider the following question:

1. First, identify and explain the Anglo-Saxon fears evident in Beowulfand the post-World War II societal fears present in 1984. Secondly, explain how each work of literature tries to provide a solution to their society’s fears. Finally, evaluate which author’s solution better inspires its audience. Explain your reasoning.

Themes in Literature

Every work of literature develops a major idea that sheds light on what it means to be a human being, and oftentimes themes are similar from one work to the next. In order to more fully grasp the meaning of a text, one should examine its larger ideas.

2. Compare and contrast Grendel’s fatalistic (doomed) attitude about life with that of Winston’s. First, explain what each believes about his fate (death), why each is fearful of it, and the decision each knowingly makes to cause his end. Secondly, evaluate whose death (real or metaphorical) is the most tragic. Explain your reasoning.

Satirizing Characters & Society

Many literary works use satire to ridicule society’s flaws to bring about change. Both The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and 1984 by George Orwell point out vices of their societies through the development of their characters. It is important to examine what these authors are satirizing, how they do so, and why.

3. First, explain the vices of society which Chaucer saw within the Middle Ages and which Orwell saw in his lifetime (WWI and WWII). Secondly, analyze at least one character’s portrayal within each literary work explaining how that character issatirizing a vice of society. Finally, explain the change each author was hoping to bring about through their satirization, and evaluate whether you believe each was successful. Explain your reasoning.

Postmodernism

Both Grendel and 1984 are products of the post-modern era. The ideologies of these eras, impact the issues discussed in the novels, specifically the notion of truth and the manipulation of language. Consider the following questions:

4. Compare and contrast the notion of “truth” in Grendel and 1984.First, address how each novel depicts the destruction of truth. Secondly, explain why it is important to Grendel and the Party to destroy truth. Finally, evaluate whether each is successful in doing so. Explain your reasoning.

5. Compare and contrast the notion of the power and manipulation of language in Grendel and 1984. First, specifically address how language is used to either inspire or suppress the people within each work. Secondly, evaluate which group of people(Hrothgar’s people or the Party) does a better job of using language for their desired ends. Explain your reasoning.

Essay Question—50 points