Responses
Response questions were
posed on a weekly basis to the USM Imposters class. By clicking around
on this page, you can read some interesting notions about Shakespeare's
Othello (O1, O2, O3),
Radcliffe's The Italian (R1, R2),
Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (W1),
Twain's Huckleberry Finn (T1, T2,
T3), and Narayan's The Guide (N1,
N2).
 |
Response
question N1 -
My troubles would not have started ... but
for Rosie.
Raju's a pretty smooth individual: what exactly is it about Rosie that destabilizes him so much? Focus on a surprising connection between his life story and a detail about her.
Actual
responses: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6
Return to top
 |
The very end of Narayan's novel is mysterious,
no doubt about it. What is your interpretation of what happens to Raju?
Does he live or die - and does he achieve a true measure of holiness?
In your answer, focus on an detail in the last paragraph of the novel
that tellingly echoes a detail from his life.
Actual responses: 1,
2,
3,
4
Return to top
 |
I reckoned he believed in the A-rabs and the elephants, but as for me I think different. It had all the marks of a Sunday-school.
Huck's world is full of elements that aren't quite what they're said to be. In class before the break (on March 20), you were assigned a topic. Consider how your topic 'seems' or is talked about vs. how it actually 'is' in Huck Finn. What is surprising about this disparity? Pay close attention to the way Huck understands and reacts to the gap.
Actual
responses: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6
Return to top
 |
“Well,
anyways, I don’ hanker for no mo’ un um, Huck. Dese is all I
kin stan’.”
“It’s the way I feel, too, Jim. But we’ve got them on our
hands, and we got to remember what they are, and make allowances.”
- ch. 23
Why
does Huck ‘make allowances’ for men he knows are “low-down
humbugs and frauds” (ch. 19)? Why keep them on the raft? In your
answer, focus on a detail from one of the Duke/King scams that connects
to something in Huck’s adventures before chapter 19.
Actual responses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
 |
Of the several revelations made at the end of Huckleberry Finn, which one is the most surprising or disturbing to you? How does this revelation revise your idea of imposterhood in the story?
Actual responses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
 |
Among
Wilde's pack of imposters, who deserves to be crowned the Supreme Imposter?
In your answer, identify a specific line that demonstrates why you've
chosen this character above all others, and make a brief, interesting
comparison of this fraud to someone in Othello or The Italian.
Actual responses: 1,
2,
3,
4
 |
Response question R1 -
"Her very virtues, now that they were
carried to excess, seemed to her to border upon vices..." - p. 181
Is Ellena right? Is this a general condition in The Italian? Looking
back on the reading we've done so far (up to p. 240), compare Ellena's
case with two other examples of virtue that could be characterized as
bordering on vice - the more surprising the better.
Actual
responses: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5
Return to top
 |
"I have changed my purpose." - p. 240
The character who utters this sentence means, on a simple level, that
he has changed his mind. But consider broader meanings: in what significant
ways has the character changed purposes in The Italian - and changed
the overall purpose of The Italian?
Actual
responses: 1,
2,
3
Return to top
 |
Othello: O, my fair warrior. (II.i.184)
Think about the way Othello greets Desdemona in Cyprus. Why might he want to play this little role-switching game? Is Desdemona comfortable with it? How might it play into Iago's schemes? Be as specific as possible.
Actual
responses : 1,
2,
3,
4
Return to top
 |
The rise of Aemilia. While everyone else in Othello seems powerless to stop Iago’s machinations, his wife develops into a surprisingly strong opponent. What is most interesting to you about this turn of events? What’s behind Aemilia’s strength, and what might touch off her rebellion? Make sure you quote details from the play in your answer.
Actual
responses (excepts indicated by ellipses...):
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6
Return to top
 |
Look closely at Othello's words from around V.ii.237 through the end of the play. How does Othello try to define himself for posterity? What's most surprising about this attempt? Make sure you concentrate on specific details in your answer.