Classic English Literature

Much like Assignments 1 & 2 you may choose any of the topics listed below just be sure that none are the same as the previous 2 assignments

Complete book list of Units 1-5
Unit 1
Wacousta by John Richardson
Tay John by Howard O’Hagan
Unit 2
Where Nests The Water Hen by Gabrielle Roy
Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell
Thirty Acres by Ringuet
As For Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
Unit 3
English Poetry of Nineteenth Century
Canada Modern Canadian Poetry in English
Contemporary Canadian Poetry in English
Unit 4
Morley Callaghan: The Individual against Society. The Loved and the Lost Margaret Laurence: The Crisis of Identity. The Fire Dwellers
Unit 5
Forever Yours, Marie Lou by Michel Tremblays
Walsh by Sharon Pollock

Assignment 3

You are required to submit a 2000-word critical essay, comparing the works of at least two authors in the course. Be sure that your essay has a thesis―that is, a critical approach to the topic―and that the thesis is supported by specific references to the literature. Although you may use appropriate works from Units 1 and 2 that you did not discuss in Essay 1, your main focus should be on one or more works included in Units 3 to 5. You must choose different authors and works for each essay. Essay 3 is worth 25% of your final grade.

Keeping in mind the instructions given above, select a topic from those listed for Essay 1. Do not choose the same topic that you wrote on for Essay 1.
Choose one nineteenth- and one twentieth-century Canadian poet and examine the attitude to nature shown in their works. Assuming that the poets you choose are representative of the century during which they lived, discuss whether or not there has been a change in the Canadian attitude to nature from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Support your answer with references to specific poems.
In a comparative essay, analyze the role of technology and the poet’ attitude towards it in at least two poems by different Canadian authors.
Compare and contrast the role and character of Mrs. Bentley in As For Me and My House with that of Stacey MacAindra in The Fire Dwellers. Include a discussion of the relationship of each woman with her husband. Indicate which portrait you consider most realistic, which you consider most sympathetic, and explain why.
Margaret Atwood has stated that the single most important theme in Canadian literature is that of survival. Drawing on the works you have studied in this course, write an essay in which you agree or disagree with Atwood, and explain your reasons in detail with support from the literature.
Choose one Canadian poet and one Canadian fiction writer whose work contains a strong interest in social or political statement or criticism. Compare and contrast their attitudes and concerns. Include a discussion of the appropriateness of the literary form in which the author writes (poetry, novel, play) to the expression of his or her social or political concerns.
Compare the representation of the urban environment in at least two works studied in the course. Consider elements such as theme, setting, and atmosphere in your analysis.
Write an explication of one or two Canadian poems that are not discussed in detail in the commentaries in the study guides. Give a detailed analysis of the poem’ meaning, and the interactions of the words, images, and divisions of the poem that contribute to the meaning. Consider the relationship of such elements as theme, diction, point of view, prosody, etc.
In a comparative essay, analyze the image of native peoples presented in at least two works studied on the course.
Construct an appropriate topic of your own. If you choose your own topic, you must get the approval of your tutor before you begin work on your essay.

No secondary sources are required but any that you use please add. Any works from the course material that are used please cite