Midterm Review
Midterm: Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Expect ten short answer questions and one essay question. You will be able to choose from a few different ones. Questions will not simply cover plot (I expect you to know all of the plots already). You should be able to answer the questions using details from the texts and plots. Notice that most of the questions ask about themes or specific passages. You can expect several different quotes to also appear on the exam, where you will have to explain/explicate what they mean. For each question, you should also include the author and title of the work.
Texts covered on Midterm:
The Mummy Returns
Griffith, Writing Essays About Literature
Livingstone and Stanley excerpts from Empire Writing
Kingsley, “Black Ghosts”
Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines
Mahfuz, Midaq Alley
Conrad, “An Outpost of Progress”
Selected poetry on Anglo-Boer War in Empire Writing
Know these things:
1. All of the Elements of Fiction. Know the different types of point of view, etc.
The Mummy Returns
2. Miscegenation in The Mummy Returns. Why does it matter that Evie is racially
“mixed”?
3. Different races in The Mummy Returns. Statements about East meeting the West.
O’Connell as the savior.
4. Importance of true love in The Mummy Returns.
Livingstone and Stanley excerpts from Empire Writing
5. Differences between the tones of Stanley and Livingstone—what accounts for these differences?
6. The three C’s from Livingstone. What are they, and how can they be seen as inherently racist?
7. The Doctor’s cook’s statement at the very end of Stanley’s lecture as a symbolic or foreshadowing.
Kingsley, “Black Ghosts”
8. Why is the story included at the beginning of Kingsley’s essay on “Black Ghosts”?
9. African supernatural explanations for natural phenomena—what does Kingsley say about them?
Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines
10. Antelope and Lion as allegory
11. Khiva’s death
12. Importance of the creators of King Solomon’s Mines
13. The gendered African landscape—map
14. Quatermain and money
15. Ignosi/Umbopa’s statements about white men and money
16. Umbopa and Sir Henry’s similarities; similarities between African and English
17.Gagool’s statement that the white men should “eat” and “drink” the diamonds
18. Foulata’s statements at her death
Mahfuz, Midaq Alley
19. How did Britain acquire Egypt as a colony?
20.Midaq Alley as eternal, unchanging
21. The poet and radio
22. Sheikh Darwish’s words—tragedy, end.
23. Treatment of women as children—what is the novel’s take on this idea?
24. Importance of gossip
25.Hamida’s development—reasons for her desire for wealth
26. Abbas’ leave of the alley. What are his feelings toward the alley?
27. The Kirsha family portrait—what is Mahfuz saying through their family?
28. Tradition and Change
29. Hamida and religion
30. Hamida as Egypt
31. Place of Hussainy in the novel
32. How does Zaita fit into the novel?—social conditions
33. Hamida’s choice as inevitable
Conrad, “An Outpost of Progress”
34. Ambivalence
35. What drives Kayerts and Carlier mad?
36. How do they feel about slavery?
Selected poetry on Anglo-Boer War in Empire Writing
37. Jingoism
38. Be able to take a poem and explain its jingoism