Passage from FASTING, FEASTING

The passage is taken from Fasting, Feasting, a novel published in 1999 by Indian novelist Anita Desai.  In the excerpt, Arun, an exchange student from India, joins members of his American host family for an afternoon at the beach.  Read the passage carefully and analyze how the author uses such literary devices as speech and point of view to characterize Arun's experience.

Passage from HENRY VIII

In the speech from Shakespeare's play Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey considers his sudden downfall from his position as advisor to the king.  Spokesmen for the king have just left Wolsey alone on stage.  Read the speech carefully and analyze how Shakespeare uses elements such as allusion, figurative language, and tone to convey Wolsey''s complex response to his dismissal from court.

"When I Have Fears" and "Mezzo Cammin"

In the two poems, Keats and Longfellow reflect on similar concerns.  Read the poems carefully.  Then compare and contrast the two poems, analyzing the poetic techniques each writer uses to explore his particular situation.