Assignment:
The texts for this part of the course have focused on how to "be" in the world either in relation to God/religion (including without God or religion). Within the context of this broad theme, write a literary analysis drawing from both The Plague and Life of Pi. You might consider the following questions, but your paper is not limited to these issues:
1. How should we be in the world in relation to or without God/religion when we face severe crises?
2. How should we be in the world in relation to or without God/religion when the "right" way to live or act seems complicated or unclear?
3. How should we be in the world in relation to or without God/religion when there is not an easy or obvious way to make sense of existence?
For this paper, please take the following points into consideration:
You should have a clearly stated and compelling thesis
Your thesis should not be a statement of the obvious - it needs to be a disputable argument that you are making, grounded in the texts
Your thesis is not your opinion about the texts - it is an argument about what the tests are saying and, thus, must grounded in the texts
You should draw on the two texts with enough interpretation and/or evaluation (including the background to the texts and authors' intent) to develop a comprehensive literary analysis
Papers should demonstrate an understanding of the themes in the context of the works you select
You need to identify at least two literary devices from each work that support your thesis
You should have a well-organized argument with evidence drawn from the texts. Any references to the text must include page numbers. For example: (Martel, 23). You may refer to the text broadly, but you also must use specific quotes to support your argument.
The paper should be typed, left-justified, double-spaced, and approximately 1500 words.