To bring together your learning both in and out of class, and to demonstrate how understanding of the past can help deal with the future in a spirit of compassionate hope, you will write a reflective paper. It should be a carefully-constructed, well-thought-out essay comparing one character from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart with one character from “The Mission.” The setting of this analysis is, of course, the 500-year story of “The West and the World.” The focus of this analysis is to reflect on the question: “How can someone in a situation of powerlessness find hope for the future?” But this is no glib opinion piece: the paper should
· indicate your close familiarity with the two works by summarizing each character’s role in the story
· reflect and comment on (1) how the character had to confront powerful outside influences, and (2) how (if at all) the character found grounds for hope
· place these fictionalized characters into the concrete, real-world context of both (1) particular events from their own time and place and (2) broad, long-term historical trends
· include a paragraph or two evaluating whether such fictionalized accounts (novels, plays, films, legends, etc) can provide true historical insight—and if so, how
· conclude, in light of your analysis, with a personal statement—either from an explicitly Christian or honestly non-Christian perspective—on the sources of hope in a world of power
Grading Criteria
__how well you address the issues listed above
__you have a coherent thesis and structure in the writing
__how carefully you substantiate your analysis and argument. How clearly and logically your paper is organized and your argument is substantiated.
__you cite the materials in an acceptable manner (see below)
__no spelling or grammatical mistakes
Citation Examples
Please cite the materials by following the examples below.
Books and articles:
(Achebe, 134)
(Strayer, 122)
