Short paper 5: Translation (due 11/2, 11/4, 11/9, 11/11, or 11/16)

Writing assignments

For short paper #5, repeat what we’ve practiced in short papers #2, #3, and #4: Pick a short passage (a few lines or sentences) and close read it, making sure to annotate your text and provide evidence of that annotation. This time, however, I want you to find 1-2 other translations of the passage you chose, and compare them to each other: how do these different translations seem like and unlike each other? What changes in vocabulary, tone, and even content do you see, and what is significant, to your mind, about these changes? What effect do you think one translator is going for versus another (for example, is one using more exuberant language to create a melodramatic effect)?

In 1-2 pages, present your observations of these differences and similarities and what you think is significant about them.

Note: if you can find a translation into another language you also read (such as French or Spanish), that’s great too–you might compare these translations across languages).

Links to a few alternate translations:

The Pillow Book: You can “match up” your lines in the Norton with the translations below by finding the correct journal entry number.

Translation by Ivan Morris: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic787484.files/eas97ab_pillowbook.pdf

Snippets from Arthur Waley’s version (which is itself abridged: he only translated 1/4 of the work):https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng2800hmwc/?page_id=222

A book in Baruch’s library with different translations of the Pillow Book:  Worlding Sei Shonagan (PL788.6 .A1995 H46 2012)

Meredith McKinney, the translator of our version in the Norton, discusses her translation process: http://www.kyotojournal.org/the-journal/in-translation/on-translating-a-classic/ 

Kokinshu: 

Translations by Thomas McAuley:

Book 1. Spring

Poem 1:http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0321.shtml 

Poem 2: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0322.shtml

Poem 3: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0323.shtml

Poem 23: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0331.shtml

Poem 25: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0332.shtml

Poem 26: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0333.shtml

Book 2: Spring

Poem 69: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0346.shtml

Poem 70: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0347.shtml

Poem 71: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0348.shtml

Book 11: Love

Poem 553: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0591.shtml

Poem 554: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0592.shtml

Book 13: Love

Poem 635: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0641.shtml

Poem 657: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0647.shtml

Poem 658: http://www.temcauley.staff.shef.ac.uk/waka0648.shtml

Translations of Kokinshu poems by Larry Hammer: http://lnhammer.livejournal.com/182467.html

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:

Jessie Weston’s translation: http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/sggk_weston.pdf

W.A. Neilson’s translation: http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/sggk_neilson.pdf

James Winny’s translation: http://online.hillsdale.edu/file/great-books-101/week-11/Week-11—Jackson-GB-101-2014-Readings.pdf

A.S. Kline’s translation: http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/GawainAndTheGreenKnight.htm

(and, if you’re interested, the original Middle English!: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/Gawain?rgn=main;view=fulltext)

Tang Dynasty Poetry: A google search for these poems will lead you to several different translations of the poems we read by Li Bo, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bo Juyi. Here are a few links:

Poems in Chinese, pinyin, literal English, poetic English

Wang Wei

Du Fu

Li Bo

One Thousand and One Nights:

Prologue/Frame Tale: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale00.htm

The Tale of the Donkey and the Bull (the one the Vizier tells his daughter, Shahrzad): http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale00.htm

(will try to post others: can Google as well)

The Thousand and One Nights

Student blog post

This reading was definitely a page-turner. Just like  Shahrayar, I wanted to know what was going to happen next in the story.  The second part of the reading began with Shahrazad retelling the story of “The Merchant and the Demon”. This continues for many nights, and with each night, Shahrazad would continue telling the story, but making sure not to finish the story. Since King Shahrayar was curious of what was going to happen next in the story, the next morning he spares her lives. He did not ask his vizier to “put her to death” like he did with all the other women he slept with. Every morning, the king goes to sleep wanting to know what will happen next in the story so he says, “I will spare her until I hear the rest of the story; then I will have her put to death the next day”.

The vizier says to his daughter, “Foolish one, don’t you know that King Shahrayar has sworn to spend but one night with a girl and have her put to death the next morning?” (pg 562) Even after knowing this fact, Shahrazad was still willing to go on with her plan. Was it foolish of Shahrazad to risk her life in order to prevent other families from mourning? Although her plan of keeping the king curious was working, how was she certain that the king would not be suspicious of what was happening? What she did may be foolish, but the purpose of her character is to portray a heroine.

Throughout the text, women were seen to be vicious, cunning creatures, but Shahrazad was portrayed differently. She was seen as the hero because she was the only one that wasn’t craving sex. Although Shahrazad was trying to manipulate the king, her intentions were sincere which made her distinct from the other women in the text.

The Thousand and One Nights

Student blog post

The Thousand and One Nights are 42 tales from Middle Eastern and Indian stories. The main overall storyline is King Shahrazad had uncovered that throughout his nonappearances, his wife was very disloyal to him and he ends up assassinating her and whoever she associated herself with. The king becomes into a huge monster and seems like he kills anyone in his path. He would marry and then execute a spouse every day.  It sounds something similar to Sakuntala and Madea with their significant others and how the male runs everything.

In the story “The Merchant and the Jinni, The king had a repetitive line which was “Rise, that I may kill thee, and thou hast killed my son. To me, it shows how hostile he is toward people. In the “Second Sheykh and the Two Black Hounds”, the King says, “I became most cordially attached to my wife, so that, on her account, I neglected the society of my brothers, who, in consequence, became jealous of me, and likewise envied me my wealth, and the abundance of my merchandise; casting the eyes of covetousness upon the whole of the property.” So it seems as though whoever is in his way will face the consequence of death or face some sort of a consequence. He doesn’t have remorse for anyone.

Sakuntala performance information

Class notes

Remember that we are not meeting in our classroom tomorrow, but in the Vertical Campus in the Baruch Performing Arts Center, in order to see a reading of Sakuntala. I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am! Remember that the play starts at 10am, so try to grab a seat by then, and check in with me so I take you down as present.

I’d also encourage you to ask questions at the end! I’ll take note that you did to apply it as participation somewhere in your grade.

More details here: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/calendar/EventList.aspx?fromdate=10/16/2015&todate=4/12/2016&display=Month&type=public&eventidn=24468&view=EventDetails&information_id=248625

 

Argument template from class

Writing guidelines and resources

Below is attached are the templates for arguments that we looked at in class, including the revised argument we created. Basically, here are the steps you would take:

  1. Try to fill out the template (I want to write about ______ in _______ because…)
  2. Likely, you will end up with a rather long and unwieldy sentence after filling in that template. Refine/revise it by taking out unnecessary words, splitting it into two sentences using a transition word like “Consequently”).
  3. Look at the templates under “Other Templates for Argument,” to see if you can refine your argument further using one of the templates listed there.
    1. Example: Through X (part of the text), the play/epic reveals Y (your claim about what that part of the text reveals).

Argument template HMWC

Analytical paper following up on oral midterm (due 10/26, 11:59pm)

Writing assignments

Assignment:

For your midterm essay, write a paper of at least 1500 words (up to 1700) that focuses on ONE of  the texts we have read in the course so far, makes an argument about the text, and supports that argument. Your argument should be your answer to a larger thematic question (see possible questions from oral midterm exam, these potential paper topics, which are based on the questions from the oral midterm, or these prompts on Sakuntala/Medea).  In other words, you are a tour guide through the text, making your argument about the text, telling us how to read it and why we should read it that way by giving evidence and interpreting it (telling us why the word, images, structures make us read it in a specific way). This means you should avoid just summarizing the plot: I have read these texts already–I want YOU to tell me HOW I should read them!

While this paper should focus on one text, you should also compare different VOICES in the text (if you are making an argument about Medea, you should compare her perspective to that of Creon’s, the nurse’s, Jason’s, etc, in order to make your point). Additionally, in your second to last paragraph, you should briefly bring in one of the other texts from the class and discuss how this 2nd text’s take on your topic illuminates something about the values of the culture in the text you have focused on for your paper (for example, when discussing duty in the BG, you might bring in Medea’s ideas of what is owed to the family and to oaths to highlight a different perspective on duty as well as what the BG’s conception of duty says about the culture/society it comes out of. Or, you might compare the BG’s conception of duty to Sakuntala’s–for both, duty is defined as dharma, but the two texts present dharma in different ways).

You may want to focus on expanding an argument or exploring a question that you addressed in one of your short papers.

Short paper no. 4 is your draft of this paper. See specific prompt for it at the bottom of this post.

Breakdown of what to include:

Your paper must have a clearly stated thesis in the first paragraph and you must develop your argument in a logical, persuasive manner throughout the rest of the essay, support your points with textual evidence, and conclude with a paragraph that summarizes your findings. Thus, your paper should contain the following elements: argument, evidence, interpretation of evidence. It should have the follow elements: introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion. I have attached a further explanation of what I mean by these things, and I have attached a template you can use to fill in the blanks and create an argument.

  • Introduction (last sentence or two: your argument)
  • Body paragraphs (topic sentence + evidence + interpretation of evidence)
  • Conclusion (restate points + so what)

Structure:

Here are two possible structures for your paper. Both are valid; it depends on your style:

1)Argument-driven: In your introduction paragraph, introduce a research question you seek to answer and give your answer (thesis statement) at the end of the paragraph. Use your body paragraphs to prove that thesis statement.

2) Inquiry-driven:  In your introduction, introduce a research question you seek to answer; use your body paragraphs to explore this question; come to a conclusion/answer (thesis statement) in your conclusion paragraph.

Format:

  • At least 1500 words (no less: you will lose points if your paper is any shorter). Provide a word count: Do not hand in handwritten assignments to me; stapled/paper clipped
  • Title and Page numbers
  • Bibliography and citations in MLA format
  • Times 12 point font
  • 1-inch margins
  • Double spaced; No extra spaces after paragraphs
  • Fully edited: free of typographical, spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors
  • Formal language: avoid “you,” “well,” and other slang words.

Resources:

Fill in the blanks to make an argument

More argument templates with examples

Notes on argument, evidence, interpretation

***

Draft for analytical paper, focusing on structure (short paper number 4): due 10/14 or 10/19.

In our short papers so far, we’ve asked questions, tried to pose answers to these questions (as arguments), and tried to use textual evidence to support/build on those arguments (evidence and interpretation). The last thing I want you to focus on before your oral midterm and analytical paper is structure, which is one of the most useful interpretive tools, but also often difficult to see if you are not used to reading for it. This can mean simple repetition, but it can also mean direct parallels being drawn (through repeated images, colors, comparisons, speech, and linguistic echoes). If a parallel is drawn we need to pay attention.

Parallels are not always positive; they may be highlighting differences (or, the difference may be calling our attention to a change in character, or a change in the intensity of the situation). For example, Sakuntala features the king spying on another character in a garden in Act I and Act VII, but the scene in Act VII has a much different tone and resonance. To do more than point out parallels, you need to think about where the passages occur. As parallels build up, they play a part in making sense of the narrative and how we are supposed to interpret it. For example, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are both described at different points as being shaggy and wild, but it means something different, and has different weight, when we see Gilgamesh described this way after Enkidu’s death. You can consider: has the meaning of an image (or whatever the parallel is) changed based on context?

Please write a response paper of 1-2 pages on the text you want to work with/write about in your analytical paper, in which you make an argument about how the text is structured (in other words, what looking at the structure allows you to see about the text’s meaning), how it deploys parallels, and to what end. Alternately, make the argument you want to make in your analytical paper, and use what you’re saying about structure to help you build/support it. Be sure to make an argument and use textual evidence  (this means quote the text) to support it, again showing me your annotations

Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollection: Act 5-7

Student blog post

In the last three acts of the play a lot  of emotions and different experiences occur. In the first act the king Dusyanta has completely forgotten Sakuntala but has sort of an idea that she is telling the truth. She feels abandoned and disowned by both her husband and her family. She is devastated and disappears with a nymph. When the ring is found the king remembers and is completely heart broken just as Sakuntala is. Pg. 926- “Oh ring! Have pity on a man whose heart is tormented because he abandoned his love without cause!”

In the second act,  I don’t really understand what is happening when the king is with the charioteer Matali. The play jumps from one section to the next without an explanation.Pg. 932- The king enters with Matali by the skyway, mounted on a chariot.  Is he having a dream that he’s in the heavens or is he really fighting off demons for Indra?

In the third act, he appears at the hermitage  where his son and Sakuntala are living. He immediately feels a connection with the little boy.Pg. 935- “Why is my heart drawn to this child, as if he were my own flesh?” This part is my favorite since they get to finally reunite and be together as a family.