All the best for the coming holidays

In case you check this blog again, I want to let you know that I've posted your semester grades. You've had a lot of work to do this semester, and I hope you've benefited from it. I've enjoyed working with you and pray you'll be blessed during the Christmas holiday.

Literature essay

Choose one of the topics below for a 500-word essay, due Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

• What life lessons does "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" suggest to the reader? Use specific examples from the story to make your points.
• Demonstrate how the duke's character is progressively revealed in "My Last Duchess" and evaluate how the speaker's voice is different from the poet's.

Your essay doesn't have to be a research paper, but referencing one or two critical works could well make your paper stronger.

Poetry writing assignment

Demonstrate how the duke's character is progressively revealed in "My Last Duchess" and evaluate how the speaker's voice is different from the poet's.

A little poetry

"My Last Duchess"

Extra credit opportunities

A few members of the class have asked about extra-credit opportunities. As I've said, the best way to improve your grade in this course is simply to concentrate on doing the regular assignments well. I do accept extra-credit work, but please understand that it takes much more work to raise your grade than to simply make a high grade at the outset.


With that caveat, you may choose to write a 300- to 500-word essay to replace one quiz grade and one in-class writing grade. The essay will be graded pass/fail and will not hurt your grade unless you plagiarize. A passing grade will be averaged as a 100 in both your quiz and in-class writing averages.


Choose one of the following statements and argue for or against it, with examples and citations:

• The best option for the U.S. in Afghanistan is to cut and run; we need to withdraw our military forces now.
• The tea party movement is a shining example of democracy in action.
• Sarah Palin is a force to be reckoned with in American politics.
• The government's new mammogram recommendations are a good idea.
• The U.S. policy toward nuclear containment in Iran is working as it should.

Papers are due no later than Thursday, December 3, 2009.