English 2850 Fall 2022: Great Works of World Literature II

1. In preparation for our conversation on Wednesday, I recorded  a  short video   about the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution.  You will need to use the passcode: VGr21%**. to access the video.   Once you’ve watched the video, please share one scientific discovery that was made in the 17th or 18th century  or one question or takeaway from my remarks. Share your question or observation as a comment on this post.
2.  Read Alexander Pope, “An Essay on Man”.   Pope’s poem is in Volume D of our anthology.  If you don’t have the book yet, you can easily locate the poem on the internet.  Please come to class prepared to share a few words about the section of the poem you’ve been assigned below (Look for the Roman numerals in the poem to find your section.)  Rather than trying to explicate the whole section, you may want to identify a particular line or pair of lines, figure out what you think it means, and then connect that passage to the rest of your section or to Pope’s poem as a whole.  This isn’t a formal presentation – just a chance to help your classmates find meaning in a work that may initially seem challenging. 

I. Jonathan Alas, Helen Arias, Fatima Barrie

II. Rachelle Campos Suarez, Luna Escobar, Carolina Fernandez

III. Yousra Hanoune, Donovan Hernandez, Kaycie Hernandez

IV. Trini Izquierdo, Arianna Jara, Navya Joseph

V. Eileen Li, Hamza Munir, Wannie Oazabal

VI. Mafoune Outtara, Bansari Batel,

VII. Alexis Perez, Nusaiba Ramisa

VIII. America Salgado Mendoza, Shira Simchon

IX. Denise Suastegui, Steven Villalva

X. Efe Verkac, Jessie Zacharakis

3. In a separate post, I have asked you to share your thoughts about “An Essay on Man” after our discussion about it in class. Please post your responses by Friday, September 23rd.

4. The English Department is asking students to respond to a survey about the first few weeks of the semester, particularly about how course enrollment issues have affected students. Your feedback is important, so please take a few minutes to respond to a few questions HERE. Thank you!!!

Hello!

My name is Jonathan Alas, I don’t mind what I’m called, Jon or Jonathan is fine. My pronouns are he/him. I am a political science major and I am a junior at Baruch. I transferred here this semester from Nassau Community College. I have a dog his name is Rocko and he is an 11 year old Rottweiler. I hope to get a cat soon as well, I am just trying to convince my parents. I am not sure what I want to do after college, I have a few ideas. I am definitely sure that I do want to run for public office and hope to be a congressman one day. I look forward to this class and to the success for us all in it!

—  Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.

The play Tartuffe had a well balanced mix that had events that could relate to back in the day and current day. To me what made the play have an old fashioned feel was the way in which they spoke to one another . The words they used and the way they phrased their sentences was a clear giveaway that the timeline in which this was told was not recent. What also made it have an old feel was the hierarchy displayed throughout the play . The family all responded to Orgon and whatever he said was followed. They couldn’t stand up for themselves and everything had to be run through their father first. Speaking of Orgon , what made this play have a real sense was the forced marriage. Nowadays forced marriage is still a thing and parents decide their kids’ significant other whether it’s for money or social status . While reading about Orgon forcing Marianne to marry Tartuffe , it reminded me alot about how certain religions choose whom there sprouse must marry. 

 Describe the character of Orgon.  Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?

Orgon as a character was someone you may call kind . Kind to the point where people take advantage. As mentioned in the play Tartuffe was someone Orgon found. Tartuffe lied to Orgon about who he was a person , he wasn’t the honest saint he portrayed to be. To me this is why Orgon was so vulnerable to Tartuffe. Orgon believed Tartuffe was someone saint , someone that could do no wrong and did nothing but try and praise the word of god. Since Orgon fell into the lie , he probably would find himself guilty everytime he wouldn’t believe Tartuffe , Tartuffe was looked at almost like a pastor and Orgon took his word highly.

Hello, My name is Denise Suastegui. My major is Psychology and my minors are Natural Sciences and Spanish. I have moderate to severe asthma that can be triggered by seasonal allergies, and changes in weather. The cold is my main trigger so as the weather gets colder, you hear me let out the most cursed cough. It’s not COVID, but my lungs are just built to fail. I love anime and drawing. My career aspirations are to be a doctor, so I will be in school for a decade at least. A text that has left a lasting impression on me is “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez. I felt so represented in that book. I had the similar or the exact same experiences that the character had. I could feel myself heal in a sense along with the character. I remember how the protagonist was seen as the rebellious daughter meanwhile her late sister was seen as this perfect angel who could do no wrong. Even as the protagonist uncovered scandalous secrets of her sister, it made me feel better about myself. I’m seen as a rebellious person or a family disappointment so seeing someone who my mother would embody as the perfect child is not so perfect. It made me feel better about myself, at least I have the courage to fully express who I am. I cried at the end cause it just hit me so hard and I felt so seen for once. I rarely get any proper representation in the media, and this book was a breath of fresh air.

Please sign up HERE for a visit with me on either September 12th or September 19th. These visits will take place in my office in the VC 7-290 “O”. These meetings will take place in small groups. If you would prefer to schedule a private appointment with me, please reach out via email.