ENG 102.

7449 | “Identity Crisis” 2/16/10

Instructor Beth Schwartzapfel Student _______________________

SEMESTER REVIEW

In lieu of class 2/16/10, and in preparation for your final, please complete the following assignment. It is due
2/22/10, at the time of your final. For each of the works of literature we’ve read this semester, I’d like you to
answer some questions. Feel free to print this out and write your answers out by hand (you’ll probably need to
continue onto the back of each page), download it onto your computer and type your answers, or write your
answers out on a separate sheet of paper.

FICTION

“How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie,” by Junot Diaz

In 1-2 sentences, summarize this short story:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

What point of view (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, etc) is this story told in? What
effect does that have on the story?

What is the tone of the story? How do you know?

What is the theme of this story?

Select 2-3 key quotes from the story and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do? You might try looking closely at the language of the
quote while you’re at it; is there alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia? Is there a metaphor? Slang or
dialect? Why did the author make these choices?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the story or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?
“Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen

In 1-2 sentences, summarize this short story:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

What point of view (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, etc) is this story told in? What
effect does that have on the story?

What is the tone of the story? How do you know?

What is the theme of this story?

Select 2-3 key quotes from the story and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do? You might try looking closely at the language of the
quote while you’re at it; is there alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia? Is there a metaphor? Slang or
dialect? Why did the author make these choices?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the story or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 2 of 2 __________
“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

In 1-2 sentences, summarize this short story:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

What point of view (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, etc) is this story told in? What
effect does that have on the story?

What is the tone of the story? How do you know?

What is the theme of this story?

Select 2-3 key quotes from the story and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do? You might try looking closely at the language of the
quote while you’re at it; is there alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia? Is there a metaphor? Slang or
dialect? Why did the author make these choices?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the story or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 3 of 3 __________
“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin

In 1-2 sentences, summarize this short story:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

What point of view (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, etc) is this story told in? What
effect does that have on the story?

What is the tone of the story? How do you know?

What is the theme of this story?

Select 2-3 key quotes from the story and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do? You might try looking closely at the language of the
quote while you’re at it; is there alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia? Is there a metaphor? Slang or
dialect? Why did the author make these choices?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the story or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 4 of 4 __________
“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver

In 1-2 sentences, summarize this short story:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

What point of view (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person limited, etc) is this story told in? What
effect does that have on the story?

What is the tone of the story? How do you know?

What is the theme of this story?

Select 2-3 key quotes from the story and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do? You might try looking closely at the language of the
quote while you’re at it; is there alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia? Is there a metaphor? Slang or
dialect? Why did the author make these choices?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the story or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 5 of 5 __________
 POETRY

Please select three poems we’ve studied together this semester and answer the following questions about
each one. You can choose from the following poems:
“Poem for People That Are Understandably Too Busy to Read Poetry” by Stephen Dunn, “When I Consider
How My Light Is Spent” by John Milton, “My Mistresses’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” by William
Shakespeare, “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, “Supermarket in California” by Allen Ginsberg, “My First
Theology Lesson” by Edward Hirsch, “Touche” by Jessie Redmon Fauset, “Sadie and Maude” by Gwendolyn
Brooks, “Poem at 30” by Sonia Sanchez, “Women’s Work” by Julia Alvarez, “We Wear the Mask” by Paul
Laurence Dunbar

Poem: ____________________________

Does this poem have a clear ‘message’? Can you say what it’s ‘about’? If so, what is its message? If not,
what do you think the author’s intention was in writing this poem?

Does it have a clear rhythmic structure and/or rhyme scheme? If so, what is it? If it’s written in free
verse, what can you tell about the lines? Are they long or short? Enjambed or end-stopped? What effect
do these choices have on the poem?

What do you notice about the language of the poem? Is it simple and straightforward? Flowery and
musical? Is it written in slang/dialect, conversational language, or formal proper English? What effect do
these choices have on the poem?

What is the tone of this poem? How do you know?

Select 1-2 key quotes from the poem and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the poem or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 6 of 6 __________
Poem: ____________________________

Does this poem have a clear ‘message’? Can you say what it’s ‘about’? If so, what is its message? If not,
what do you think the author’s intention was in writing this poem?

Does it have a clear rhythmic structure and/or rhyme scheme? If so, what is it? If it’s written in free
verse, what can you tell about the lines? Are they long or short? Enjambed or end-stopped? What effect
do these choices have on the poem?

What do you notice about the language of the poem? Is it simple and straightforward? Flowery and
musical? Is it written in slang/dialect, conversational language, or formal proper English? What effect do
these choices have on the poem?

What is the tone of this poem? How do you know?

Select 1-2 key quotes from the poem and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the poem or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 7 of 7 __________
Poem: ____________________________

Does this poem have a clear ‘message’? Can you say what it’s ‘about’? If so, what is its message? If not,
what do you think the author’s intention was in writing this poem?

Does it have a clear rhythmic structure and/or rhyme scheme? If so, what is it? If it’s written in free
verse, what can you tell about the lines? Are they long or short? Enjambed or end-stopped? What effect
do these choices have on the poem?

What do you notice about the language of the poem? Is it simple and straightforward? Flowery and
musical? Is it written in slang/dialect, conversational language, or formal proper English? What effect do
these choices have on the poem?

What is the tone of this poem? How do you know?

Select 1-2 key quotes from the poem and write them here. Explain why you chose each quote—what is
important about it? What is the author trying to do?

Find one peer-reviewed article about the poem or its author and read it. Write out a correctly-formatted
MLA citation for it here. Then, in 1-2 sentences, summarize the article. What is the article’s thesis?

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 8 of 8 __________
 DRAMA
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

In 4-5 sentences, please summarize the plot of the play:

Who are the key character(s) and what key information do we know about them?

Here I will list several of the key themes of the play. For each theme, please select 2 quotes from the
play that address that theme in some way—preferably 2 quotes that argue ‘opposite’ sides of the issue.
Please explain who is speaking, the context of the quote, and look closely at the language (Does it have
a clear rhythmic structure and/or rhyme scheme? Are the lines long or short? Are the words simple and
straightforward? Flowery and musical? Etc.) Based on what you discover, and what you know about the
rest of the play, decide what Shakespeare’s message was about that theme.

“True Love”

Gender and the role of women

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 9 of 9 __________
Acting/performance/theater

Nature

Identity

ENG 102.7449 Your initials:

Semester review 10 of 10 __________