Name: Michelle Taylor

BRITISH LITERARY HISTORY, II

FINAL EXAM

Please open this file as a document and save it to your computer with the following
file name: yourlastname.331final.docx. For example: taylor.331final.docx.

Upload your final exam to the D2L dropbox by 11:15 AM on Monday, Dec. 10. I
will be in my office (CHBS 4001) on our exam day from 11:00 until noon if you have
any questions.

You may use any print sources (text, notes, D2L, online sources, etc.) you wish to
complete the “Identify” and “multiple choice” portion of the exam but you may not
collaborate with other students or human resources in any way for any portion of
the exam. The essay portion of the exam should be your own analysis and should
not use any sources other than the primary texts you are working with. You’ll be
asked to sign an honor code statement at the end of the exam.

Identify the following (4 points each):

1. Goblin Market:

“Goblin Market” is a cautionary tale by Christina Rossetti. In the poem, Rossetti

details two sisters, Lizzie and Laura, as they experience temptation by the calls of

the goblins. Laura is convinced by a goblin to trade a lock of her hair for fruit.

She becomes addicted. The goblins’ fruit enables whoever to consume it to be

satisfied with anything else besides the fruit, creating an addiction. The poem

contains themes of love, sacrifice, and deceit as the sisters try to surpass this

obstacle.

2. Oscar Wilde:

An author known for his flamboyancy, his intelligence, and his infamous trial

involving homosexuality, Oscar Wilde is among the many authors studied this
 semester. Specifically, we analyzed The Importance of being Earnest. The play

involves two men, Jack and Algernon, taking on the persona of “Ernest,” a

fictional character. “Ernest” allows the men freedom to do as they please or use as

leverage. Jack uses “Ernest” to go out of town without questions asked. Algernon

uses the pseudonym to gain the affection of Cecily.

3. Stream of Consciousness:

To me, stream of consciousness relates to an author’s ability to convey a

character’s feelings, actions, thoughts, and descriptions of the character’s

memories. An author I feel does this really well is Virginia Woolf. Virginia

Woolf, herself, had mental illnesses. Thus, she reflected a lot on her own

emotions and experiences as she wrote her characters. Mark on the Wall uses the

concept of stream of consciousness by analyzing a literal mark on the wall. The

short story is told in a first-person point of view. This allows the reader to get a

deeper perspective of the narrator’s thinking. The narrator thinks about religion,

philosophy, and natural occurrences.

4. Realism:

Realism in literature is a style that represents the text’s elements as realistic or

accurate. A reading that portrays this well is Odour of Chysanthemums by D.H.

Lawrence. In his short story, Lawrence shows realism through his character,

Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s husband, Wallace, is missing and Elizabeth grows

worrisome of his whereabouts as the night goes on. To me, the most realistic
 aspect of the short story is that Elizabeth is not immediately concerned. She

attributes his whereabouts to be because of his drinking. Although mine accidents

were common, she doesn’t want to automatically assume the worse. The story

progresses to show the worry Elizabeth has for her children and concern for their

futures. All elements of this story are reminiscent of what could be realistic

situations.

5. Omega Seamaster Deville:

This watch plays a prominent role in David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green. The

watch belonged to the grandfather of protagonist, Jason Taylor. At the beginning

of the novel, Jason breaks his grandfather’s. This starts a chain of events that

depict the disorder that is happening in Jason’s life. These events help Jason gain

insight on loss, relationships, responsibility, and acceptance. By the end of the

novel, Jason admits to his father that he has broken the watch. Jason’s father

admits to his affair and tells Jason that he is divorcing Jason’s mother. The

honesty could potentially allow both Jason and his father move on and relieve

them of guilt.

Choose the best answer (4 points each):

_B____1. Jason writes poetry under the pen name of: (A) T. S. Eliot; (B) Eliot Bolivar;
(C) Jase Bolivar
C____ 2. The war Britain is involved in mentioned in the book is in: (A) South Africa;
(B) Grand Cayman; (C) The Falklands

__A___3. Jason lives in: (A) Kingfisher Meadow; (B) Coventry; (C) Black Swan Forest

___C__4. The “sour aunt” is: (A) Madame Commelynck; (B) Miss Lippetts; (C) Mrs.
Gretton.

___C__5. To whom does Jason return the wallet he found at the fair? (A) Tom Yew; (B)
Dean Moran; (C) Ross Wilcox

Essay Portion

Below you will find three questions. Each student should answer question #1, then you
may choose between numbers 2 and 3 to answer a total of 2 questions.

Your answer to each question should be approximately 500 words in a standard 10 or 12

point font, double spaced. You should begin each essay answer on a separate page of this
exam and give each one a title that fits your thesis.

You should not use any sources for this portion of the exam (except primary texts); the
analysis here should be completely your own. Using sources for ideas and not
documenting them could result in a plagiarism charge. Please write your own critical
analysis.

Each essay is worth 30 points so make your answers worthy of it!

Question 1 (everybody answers):

1. Considering the works we read, how does literature reflect history? How does
history affect what we write? Basically, what is the effect of the intertwining of
history and literature? Does literature highlight what we know of history and vice
versa? If this question seems vague, it is—on purpose! What I want you to do
here is to think about literature and history and simply reflect on it in any way,
using any examples you would like. To give an example, one potential approach
could be to take a piece of literature from one literary period, such as the
Victorian Age, and give some examples of how the time affected the literature
and the literature reflected the age. We looked at several pieces that were affected
by naturalism and social mores of the time, such as “Dover Beach.” Then, could
you propose that a piece of writing like this may have also influenced people of
that time or become an accurate reflection of that time (i.e. a different type of
historical document)? What makes it “timeless”? This is just one approach;
 there are many possibilities here, such as war poetry, etc. Please give some
concrete examples from a piece or pieces we’ve read this semester.

Questions 2 and 3 (choose one):

2. Choose one poem we read and explicate it using at least two of the tools of
explication we studied. (See handout for explication on D2L in Unit 1.) Do you
remember the explication we did in class of “The Lamb” and “The Tyger”?
Ultimately, as you explicate, you should arrive at a meaning. This should not be a
poem you have explicated before for our first exam or for your responses.

3. Choose one short story or novel we read this semester and write about one or two
aspects of that type of literature, arriving at a conclusion about the work. For
example, you could choose to write about plot, character, style, metaphor, a
critical approach, etc. You may use some of our group questions posted to D2L
for prompts for this. Ultimately, the answer to this question should reflect
analysis of the story or novel. One example of this would be to write about
symbolism in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or images of masculinity in
Black Swan Green. This should be a new essay and not be a part of something
you wrote for another class and not part of a response you may have previously
turned in.

I have not received any help or advice on this exam from any person and I have only
used sources (other than the primary texts) for the “Identify” and “Multiple
Choice” portion of the exam. The essays are completely my own.

Signed: Michelle Taylor

Please begin your essay exams on the following page.

Good luck, everyone. I have genuinely enjoyed this class: you as individual students,
your group and class discussions, and especially reading your wonderful responses. I
know these essays will also be enlightening to read. Have a wonderful break!
Essay 1:

Birth of Literary Modernism through the Industrial Revolution

The Modern Period brought forth various changes in technology by the invention

of electricity, as well as several social movements that inspired writers to explore new

themes and narrative styles. Amidst of World War I, authors conveyed their surrounding

horrors in a style now known as literary modernism. In result, readers are offered with an

abundance of stories recounting war, societal anguish, and hope for a war’s end. History

influences literature just as often as literature influences one’s view of history. History

has become a vital element in some of the most prominent literary works during the

Modern Period; included in this is D.H. Lawrence’s Odour of Chrysanthemums.

The life of author D.H. Lawrence largely correlates to the history reflected in his

short story. As a child, Lawrence was raised in a mining household. He is directly

affected by England’s Industrial Revolution that brought new machinery including trains,

factories, and coal mines. With the new progressions in machinery, unsafe working

conditions increased. D.H. Lawrence was knowledgeable of this during his father’s

mining. With historical context and knowledge, Lawrence was able to create his short

story, Odour of Chrysanthemums. The story itself depicts a grieving mother as she comes

to terms with her husband’s death while mining. D.H. Lawrence’s personal experiences

allowed him to portray a realistic narrative of a family grieving over a death caused by

unsafe working conditions. Unbeknownst to Lawrence, coal mining would have a

significant part in England’s history. Publication of stories like Lawrence’s, aided by

public outcry for better work conditions, allowed England’s attempts towards bettering

the livelihood for its citizens by promising safer work conditions.

Dating back to biblical times, history has been written and presented in order to

spread awareness of life events. To this day, readers learn historical facts as they are

presented through literature and speech. Literature has a pronounced effect on history due

to literature’s ability to record and spread information. England’s industrial revolution

has affected this as it has offered newspapers and technological devices such as cell

phones that allow readers to be consistently shown new information. Through events

such as war, poverty, and monumental achievements, authors become inspired to create.

Relating to D.H. Lawrence’s story, England’s development as a modern nation gave

Lawrence the tools necessary to discuss the flaws of a technologically advancing country.

Through his writings, readers are able to understand some of England’s historical

background, even if they are unable to personally experience it. However, to some,

Lawrence’s story is still applicable to their experiences of the working class.

Although the definition of what makes a literary piece “timeless” is often left

ambiguous, “timeless” pieces are frequently observed and referenced as time goes on.

Lawrence’s piece is reflected on due to its underlying themes. Themes concerning

money, uncertainty for the future, and the yearning of family order are relatable amongst

most readers. Lawrence’s piece creates a balance of historical and personal narrative,

with both positively contributing towards its plot development. Lawrence’s piece

replicates the genuine concerns and hardships working-class citizens endured during the
Modern Period. His story properly reflects the impact that history has on literature and

demonstrates that literature can change history.

Essay 2, prompt #3:

Self-Evaluation in Shooting an Elephant

In the years between World War I and World War II was a period of figurative

rebirth in literary works. Following the disillusionment resulting from WWI, authors

detailed their militaristic views as well as the internal conflict felt by the conclusion of

the war. This is shown in George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant. In the duration of this

story, Orwell speaks negatively on the role of imperialism, discusses authority, and

battles internal conflict as the character struggles to make a moral, but ethical decision.

These elements contribute to the underlying messages of the short story.

The premise of Shooting an Elephant centers around the narrator, Orwell, as he is

stationed in Burma as one of England’s officers. Once an elephant has become unruly, he

is ordered to kill it. Apart from the killing, itself, Orwell expresses his dismay of being in

Burma, a country possessed by England. The role of imperialism is an important aspect in

the short story. As England uses its military to claim Burma, Orwell finds himself

questioning the premise of superiority and inferiority as well as his own standing in the

hierarchy of power. The narrator battles an internal conflict as he is bound to England,

yet sympathizes with the people of Burma. Yet, his biggest impediment is the process of

killing the elephant.

The narrator is shown to have been given orders to kill the elephant that has had a

rampage. Orwell notes that the elephant is now seemingly calm, causing him to question
the necessity of killing the creature. However, he is pressured by the Burman society as

well as his supervisors to shoot the animal. Orwell complies after a gruesome internal

debate. However, when he shoots the elephant with a mere rifle, causing the animal to not

die immediately. The elephant is severely wounded, yet is still alive. Thus, Orwell

repeatedly shoots it. Orwell is aware that the elephant is now suffering. He feels remorse

as he watches it die, contemplating whether his decision was right. However, Orwell

realizes the importance of responsibility in his life.

The idea of authority is the center focus in George Orwell’s story. The narrator is

shown to question authority and its purpose. This is first shown through his conveyed

thoughts on England’s imperialism and again, in the killing of the elephant. The

narrator’s compliance to authority is shown repeatedly, but the idea of authority leaves

Orwell questioning his role in society compared to other Englishmen, the people of

Burma, and the elephant.

To his fellow Englishmen, he is an officer that holds a certain amount of power,

yet is shown to take orders from his superiors. As he receives the call concerning the

elephant, Orwell finds himself inferior to the Burma citizens, who demand for immediate

action. This creates an interesting conflict in the story. Although the narrator seems to

feel empathy towards Burma and its people, he is impeded by their request for him to kill

the elephant. This proposes the idea that Orwell considers himself superior to Burma

citizens, yet chooses to admit it due to his anti-imperialistic stance. Finally, Orwell

compares himself to his slain companion, the elephant. At first glance, he remarks how

“great” and power the creature is, alluding to it being superior over the narrator or of any

character in the story. Although he initially feels superior to the elephant due to
possessing the rifle, he shoots and fails to immediately kill the animal. This symbolizes

the narrator’s inability to be truly a superior being. This leaves the narrator questioning

his place in society.

Although the plot of the story may seem simplistic, the narrator’s internal conflict

drives this story into being one of heartbreak, ethicality, and insecurity. As the story

develops, more information is provided to prove the uncertainty of the narrator’s place in

his society. As he disputes his position, the elephant’s death induces the character’s self-

reflection, providing an unfortunate conclusion to the story.