Humanities 110

Paper Topics | Fall 2010 | Paper 2

Due Saturday, October 9th, 5 p.m., in your conference leader's Eliot Hall mailbox.
Maximum Length 1500 words

Write an essay in response to one of the following prompts. Structure your essay around a strong, analytical claim, and provide specific, detailed evidence from the texts to support that claim. You will want to focus on specific characters, episodes, relations, themes, or claims in the texts, rather than providing general summaries.

1. Compare and contrast how two of the following texts depict the "good life": The Book of Job, Hesiod's Works and Days, and either "The Book of the Dead" or "The Teaching of Khety."

2. Compare and contrast Heraclitus and Parmenides arguments concerning the nature of change. Carefully and in your own words state and explain each author's position. Precision here is crucial, and you may wish to focus on particular fragments.

3. Compare and contrast relationships between leaders and their people in Exodus and the "Tale of Sinuhe."

4. Compare and contrast the voyages of Sinuhe (The Tale of Sinuhe) and Joseph (Genesis).

5. Compare and contrast how Genesis and Theogony address and resolve familial conflict.

6. Compare and contrast understandings of covenant in Job and either Genesis or Exodus.

In addition to consulting with your conference leader, you can get help with all stages of the writing process from peer tutors at the Writing Center. You can find links to the Writing Center hours on the Drop-in Tutoring Schedule website. Extra tutoring help will be available in the week leading up to paper due dates.