Shafer 1 Dr. Shafer | TSU | Fall 2017 | ENGL 2320: World Literature II | Final Project (200 pts) PURPOSE(S) KNOWLEDGE + SKILLS Competency 1: Analyze significant primary texts as forms of cultural and creative expression. Competency 2: Explain the ways in which humanistic and/or artistic expression throughout the ages expresses the culture and values of its time and place. Competency 3: Explore global and/or cultural diversity. Competency 4: Frame a comparative context through which they can critically assess the ideas, forces, and values that have created the modern world. Competency 5: Recognize the ways in which both change and continuity permeate artistic development. Competency 6: Practice the critical and analytical methodologies of the Humanities, including MLA format. TASK(S) ANNOTATE LITERARY TEXTS + RESPOND IN WRITING  Your final project in this course has two components: COMPONENT ONE: Annotation of Literary Texts (worth up to 100 points): Choose (at least) two poems and two fairy tales—each from a different poet/author—that have not been studied in class and annotate (at least) twenty language aspects of these four chosen texts (for a total of 80: 4 texts x 20 language aspects = 80). The kinds of language structures and patterns to consider marking would include any that we have studied and practiced identifying this semester (denotation vs. connotation, literal vs. figurative language, word patterns, opposition binaries, metaphors, similes, personification, symbolism, ideology, gender, race, class, references to birth/death/colors/season/time, etc.). These annotations must be specific and detailed. Each annotation must demonstrate the following three elements: o First, a specific label for the item using the kinds of language terminology that we have been practicing with all semester (Symbolism? Literal language? Metaphor? Binary? Theme? Pattern? etc.) o Second, the specific meaning of the item (what is being symbolized? What does the literal language refer to? What does the metaphor stand for? How does the binary add to the overall effect of the text? How is the theme expressed? How does the pattern create meaning? Etc.) o Third, the specific evaluation—from your personal point of view, NOT right” or “wrong”—regarding how effective you find each item (is the meaning of the symbolism clear or unclear? Does the literal language help paint a stronger picture or not? Is the metaphor engaging or boring? How much sense does the binary make? How well does the theme relate to the rest of the text? How well do the language patterns work to create the meaning in the mind of the reader? etc.) COMPONENT TWO: Respond to Ten Questions about Literary Texts (worth up to 100 points): Write (at least) one well-developed paragraph per question (see the questions listed on the back of this page). Rather than discuss the four texts separately, please discuss ALL FOUR of t.

1. Shafer 1
Dr. Shafer | TSU | Fall 2017 | ENGL 2320: World Literature II |
Final Project (200 pts)
PURPOSE(S)
KNOWLEDGE + SKILLS
Competency 1: Analyze significant primary texts as forms of
cultural and creative expression.
Competency 2: Explain the ways in which humanistic and/or
artistic expression throughout the ages
expresses the culture and values of its time and place.
Competency 3: Explore global and/or cultural diversity.
Competency 4: Frame a comparative context through which they
can critically assess the ideas, forces, and
values that have created the modern world.
Competency 5: Recognize the ways in which both change and
continuity permeate artistic development.
Competency 6: Practice the critical and analytical
methodologies of the Humanities, including MLA format.

2. TASK(S)
ANNOTATE LITERARY TEXTS + RESPOND IN WRITING
COMPONENT ONE: Annotation of Literary Texts (worth up to
100 points): Choose (at least) two
poems and two fairy tales—each from a different poet/author—
that have not been studied in class
and annotate (at least) twenty language aspects of these four
chosen texts (for a total of 80: 4 texts x
20 language aspects = 80). The kinds of language structures and
patterns to consider marking would
include any that we have studied and practiced identifying this
semester (denotation vs. connotation,
literal vs. figurative language, word patterns, opposition
binaries, metaphors, similes, personification,
symbolism, ideology, gender, race, class, references to
birth/death/colors/season/time, etc.). These
annotations must be specific and detailed. Each annotation must
demonstrate the following three
elements:
o First, a specific label for the item using the kinds of language
terminology that we have
been practicing with all semester (Symbolism? Literal
language? Metaphor? Binary?

3. Theme? Pattern? etc.)
o Second, the specific meaning of the item (what is being
symbolized? What does the
literal language refer to? What does the metaphor stand for?
How does the binary add to
the overall effect of the text? How is the theme expressed? How
does the pattern create
meaning? Etc.)
o Third, the specific evaluation—from your personal point of
view, NOT right” or
“wrong”—regarding how effective you find each item (is the
meaning of the symbolism
clear or unclear? Does the literal language help paint a stronger
picture or not? Is the
metaphor engaging or boring? How much sense does the binary
make? How well does
the theme relate to the rest of the text? How well do the
language patterns work to create
the meaning in the mind of the reader? etc.)
COMPONENT TWO: Respond to Ten Questions about Literary
Texts (worth up to 100 points):
Write (at least) one well-developed paragraph per question (see
the questions listed on the back of
this page). Rather than discuss the four texts separately, please

4. discuss ALL FOUR of the texts—the
two poems AND the two fairy tales—together in the paragraphs.
For example, when answering
Question 1, you might write something like:
1. What examples of references to time and movement are
presented in your two poems and two
fairy tales? Explain your personal interpretation or
understanding of their meanings.
All four of my literary texts include references to time and
movement. The first poem, “New Love”
by Robert Frost (www.frost.org/newlove.pdf) repeats the words
“early morning” five times. I believe
that Frost is using these repeated words to equate the hope that
can come with a new day with the
hope that can come from a new relationship. The second poem,
“Old Barn” by Nikki Giovanni
(Poems by Nikki Giovanni, 2nd ed.) starts off with the words
“The old barn died years ago.”
Shafer 2
Giovanni is using personification to suggest that the barn could
die like a person in the past as way of

5. setting the time frame for the rest of the poem: the American
Civil War. The first fairy tale, “The Red
Ring” by Hans Christian Andersen includes the language pattern
. . . [and so on and so forth until you
have fully answer the question].
CRITERIA
submitted on eLearn as either high resolution
digital photos of handwritten annotations on printouts OR typed
annotations on pdfs or Word documents. In
any case, make sure to include the full title of the poems and
fairy tales, the names of the authors, and where
you got the texts (web address, name of book, whatever). The
titles of poems and fairy tales are usually
placed in “quotation marks” in MLA (example: “Sonnet 29” or
“Cinderella”) while books and webpages are
placed in italics (Robert Frost’s Best Poems on Death or
www.poetry-for-all.com). You may annotate with
pencil, pen, marker, highlighter, whatever. Just make sure that
your annotations are clear.
typed in a single digital document (Word
document, NOT an apple file or a pdf) and formatted according
to current MLA guidelines. Because this

6. assignment is not really a typical research paper, asking you to
follow MLA guidelines really just means that
your text will need to be 12 pt font (Times New Roman or
Arial), with the poem and fairy tale titles in
“quotation marks,” 1-inch outside margins, etc. Google: OWL
MLA for more information about MLA.
(include specifics, details, on-point
information, etc.). Bare-boned answers will not earn very many
of the available points.
—at any level and in any
manner—you will receive a zero for the assignment
and you will not be able to revise it. If you have any questions
about what constitutes plagiarism, just ask.
We will definitely be discussing this in class. I want to see
YOUR answers to these questions. If I wanted to
see other people’s analyses, I would look them up myself.
groups of two or three. However, these are your only
choices. Therefore, work submitted from groups with more than
three students will not be accepted.
dropbox on eLearn by 11:59pm on Sun, Nov 26.
only way to ensure that you receive credit.
Bringing a hardcopy to class will not guarantee
credit. However, I will accept hard copies if you have any

7. trouble uploading your work eLearn.
TEN QUESTIONS
1. What examples of references to time and movement are
presented in your two poems and two fairy tales?
Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of their
meanings.
2. What examples of references to human relationships are
presented in your two poems and two fairy tales?
Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of their
meanings.
3. What examples of references to color and nature are
presented in your two poems and two fairy tales?
Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of their
meanings.
4. Which oppositional binaries are the strongest in your two
poems and two fairy tales? Explain your personal
interpretation or understanding of their meanings.
5. Which examples of literal language presented in your two
poems and two fairy tales stand out to you the
most? Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of
their meanings.
6. Which examples of figurative language presented in your two
poems and two fairy tales stand out to you the
most? Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of
their meanings.
7. Which examples of gender constructions presented in your
two poems and two fairy tales stand out to you

8. the most? Explain your personal interpretation or understanding
of their meanings.
8. Which themes presented in your two poems and two fairy
tales stand out to you the most? Explain your
personal interpretation or understanding of their meanings.
9. Which patterns of language presented in your two poems and
two fairy tales stand out to you the most?
Explain your personal interpretation or understanding of their
meanings.
10. Which words’ connotations found in your two poems and
two fairy tales stand out to you the most? Explain
your personal interpretation or understanding of their meanings.