The exam consists of you writing two essay responses to the following themes. Each essay is worth 50%, for a total of 100%. As you
will see, the themes are broad, so a big part of your response involves you creating a clear, specific thesis about your themes and
discuss them in relation to two of the works that we have discussed in class.
Discuss two works per essay, but my hope is that over the course of the two essays you will have discussed all three of the texts.
For example, in one essay you might discuss dreamlike qualities in Kafka and Zweig, and in another you might discuss the corruption
of power in Kafka and Brecht, etc.
Some of these responses will inevitably become compare and contrast in structure; when it comes to such essays, structure your paper
in terms of ideas rather than simply discussing one work for half the essay and another work for the other half. As with your
previous essays, you must use proper essay structure: a clear introductory paragraph that closes with a specific, strong thesis;
paragraphs organized around topics that support your thesis and that a structured in a clear, logical way; evidence from the text
that supports your thesis and/or supporting points; and, finally, a strong conclusion.
For the exam, you can use your three books by Zweig, Brecht, and Kafka. During the previous exam there were some students who,
lacking their books, used a sheet with the quotations that they planned to use. You can do the same for this exam, so long as they
are on a single sheet, but this will be checked during the course of the exam. When it does come to preparing, establish your
thesis/argument, that you establish 3-4 argumentative points that can serve as your paragraphs and help to support that thesis, and
that you already find the relevant passages that you will use for support in your essays.
As with the previous exam, points will be gained or lost on the basis of how you use the texts to support your argument. When it
comes to quoting from the text, shorter passages can be quoted in their entirety, while longer passages can be quoted with the first
few words, an ellipsis, and then the last words, e.g. “In general, the proceedings were kept secret … for the further course of
the trial” (Kafka 82-83). If you use the editions of the texts that we have been using in class, then you do not need to include
the publication information; however, if you do use other texts, online or in print, then you must include their publication
information at the end of the exam booklet (you will lose points if you do not).
Special note on what you are allowed to use during the exam: you are allowed to bring in, on a single sheet of paper, your thesis
statements for the two essays and your three-four topic sentences for your three-four supporting points. This sheet will be checked
during the course of the test, and it must be handed in with your final test. Just to reiterate, you can also bring your novels and
the play (or a sheet with your quotes if need be, a sheet that will be checked during the test). Some students have requested the
use of dictionaries for language reference, and this is acceptable. Laptops and phones are not allowed during the test; if either
are out during the test, your test will be taken away and you will receive a zero.
Here are the themes:
Power and Powerlessness
The Corruption of Society
Love and Hatred
Love and the Abuse of Love
The Role of Class
Morality and Immorality
The Role of Irony
Justice and Injustice