What larger idea best connects Sappho, Du Fu, and Bashō in this module?

The Time Machine suggests that Sappho, Du Fu, and Bashō are connected by their shared ability to:

In Sappho’s fragment about “Neither honey nor the honey bee,” the paired images most strongly suggest that:

How does the fisherman overcome the demon?

Who kills Odin, and who then avenges Odin’s death?

What is an embedded story?

What do Thor, Loki, and Thialfi discover about the strange building where they spent the night?

Looking across Confucius, Laozi, Sunzi, the poets, The Arabian Nights, Dante and the Egyptian judgment tradition, Gawain, and Camelot, which statement best reflects the larger course question?

What contrast shapes the opening of Du Fu’s “Views in Springtime”?

Major Exam II: Essay Portion Instructions Choose TWO of the THREE prompts below and respond to each. Each response is worth 25 points, for a total of 50 points. Your goal is not to summarize the readings. Instead, show that you understand the ideas we have explored and can use literature to think about larger questions concerning human life. For each response: Answer the question clearly and thoughtfully. Use at least two works, writers, or thinkers from different modules in your response. Use specific characters, moments, images, teachings, or ideas from the course as evidence. Explain the connection between your examples rather than simply describing them. You may disagree with the ideas presented in a text, but explain your reasoning using the literature. When the prompt asks you to connect the literature to the modern world, use a meaningful example rather than simply mentioning something current. You do not need formal citations or a Works Cited page, but make it clear which texts or thinkers you are discussing. You may use material from: Eastern ThoughtConfucius, Laozi, Sunzi PoetrySappho, Du Fu, Bashō StorytellingThe Arabian Nights Justice and JudgmentDante’s Inferno, The Egyptian Book of the Dead Honor and Human ImperfectionSir Gawain and the Green Knight Ideals, Loyalty, and CollapseLe Morte Darthur The strongest responses will do more than tell me what happened. They will explain what the literature helps us understand about being human. Prompt 1: What Does It Mean to Live Well? Throughout this part of the course, we encountered very different answers to one of humanity’s oldest questions: What does it mean to live well when human beings are imperfect and the world does not always cooperate with our ideals? Choose at least two works, writers, or thinkers from different modules and compare the answers they offer. What qualities seem necessary for a good life? Wisdom? Character? Balance? Courage? Justice? Honesty? Acceptance? Something else? Explain where your selections agree, where they differ, and what those differences reveal about the cultures or perspectives that produced them. Finally, answer for yourself: Which idea from these works offers the most useful insight about living well in the modern world, and why? Prompt 2: What Power Do We Have When We Cannot Control the World? Many of the people and thinkers we encountered face situations they cannot simply overpower or control. Shahrazad faces a violent king. The Fisherman confronts a being far stronger than himself. Laozi questions the usefulness of forcing situations. Sunzi emphasizes understanding circumstances. Gawain discovers that courage does not eliminate fear. Poets such as Sappho, Du Fu, and Bashō give language to experiences human beings cannot necessarily change. Choose at least two works, writers, or thinkers from different modules and respond to this question: When people cannot control what happens around them, what kind of power do they still have? Compare the answers your selections provide. Consider possibilities such as intelligence, storytelling, strategy, flexibility, courage, self-control, perspective, language, or the ability to choose how we respond. Then apply their ideas to one realistic situation in the modern world. What could these works teach someone facing circumstances they cannot completely control? Prompt 3: What Should Happen When Human Beings Fail? This part of the course repeatedly introduced people and societies that fail to live up to their ideals. Dante imagines consequences for human choices. Ancient Egyptian judgment asks whether a life has remained in balance with Ma’at. Gawain discovers that fear can interfere with honor. Camelot collapses as private choices and divided loyalties damage a public ideal. Confucius asks people to cultivate character even though human beings are imperfect. Using at least two works, writers, or thinkers from different modules, respond to this question: What should happen when human beings fail to live up to their ideals? Should failure lead primarily to punishment? Accountability? Mercy? Learning? Restoration? Forgiveness? Honest recognition of imperfection? Some combination of these? Compare the answers offered by your selections and use specific evidence to explain your reasoning. Then bring your response back to the question that has guided our journey through World Literature: What do these different responses to human failure reveal about what it means to be human? A Final Reminder There is not one “correct” answer to these prompts. I am looking for your ability to think with the literature. Show me that you understand the works, can place different traditions into conversation without pretending they are identical, and can explain what their ideas help us see about human life. Answer TWO prompts only. Each response is worth 25 points.