PLAGIARISM DECLARATION FORM
ENGLISH 465 MIDTERM EXAM
State University of New York-Oswego
Department of English
Dr. Neelika Jayawardane
303E Poucher Hall
Sharing intellectual property, rather than hording ideas and thoughts, is one of the best things
about an academic environment: it provides a space for an ongoing, engaging, and ethical
conversation. While I encourage you to discuss how to articulate arguments in a research paper, or
the questions in an exam (and possible strategies for answering the questions) please do not share
your written answers, nor tell anyone how/what to write. And certainly: do not copy or
download a paper from the Internet; get a paper from a “paper bank”; or have someone else do
your work for you. I’ve seen some Internet papers, and they are simply dreadful.
My class policy is clear: if you are found to have engaged in academic dishonesty, or
plagiarism, these actions will result not only in failing that particular assignment, but also an
automatic failure of the class. Please check the student handbook for what academic dishonesty
will entail, and the correct procedures one may follow in order to avoid such a charge.
I take academic dishonesty seriously; and I make no exceptions.
PLEASE READ, SIGN AND DATE THE FOLLOWING:
I know what academic dishonesty and plagiarism means/what it entails. I know that if I engage in
academic dishonesty, I will fail the assignment, and fail the class automatically.
Although I know that I am encouraged to discuss how to best articulate arguments in a research
paper, or talk about the questions in a take-home exam (and possible strategies for answering the
questions) I will not share written answers, nor directly tell anyone how/what to write via
“traditional” nor “non-traditional” means: text, IM, or email. I will not copy or download a paper
from the Internet; get a paper from a “paper bank”; or have someone else do my work for me. I did
not share written answers, nor tell anyone how/what to write. I know that all parties (including me)
with suspiciously similar answers fail the exam, as well as the class.
I’m smarter than that, prepared for intellectual engagement, and write well-articulated papers than
those atrocities on the Internet.
________________________
NAME (PLEASE PRINT)
_________________________
SIGNATURE
____/____/_____
DATE
ENGLISH 360: MIDTERM EXAM (20 points/20% of grade)
PLAN to address 2/3 Questions/night. If you’ve read all the material carefully, attended class, taken
notes, and participated actively in discussion, the exam should not reduce you to tears – but will still take
time. Proofread and write complete, grammatically correct sentences with your own analysis, so that I
can give you the grade you deserve.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Please type answers, number the answers, and use: 12 Point Times Font 1 ½ Line Spacing
2. Due: THURSDAY, 5th April. Bring your exam to CLASS. Do not provide me with the “printer
died”/etc. stories on the due date/time. I will have you sign a sheet of paper, so there will be no
confusion over lost exams. Late exams will not be accepted.
3. Sign/date the Plagiarism Declaration Form (first page), and attach it to the front of the exam.
4. Questions are worth 2 points (exam is worth 20 points altogether). Answer intelligently and clearly,
incorporating the texts we read (the novels, book chapters, and the articles) and class discussion.
Providing details and evidence from the text(s) is a really good way to get both points. On p. 5, there is
a sample Question&Answer, so you can check that to see how to go about writing yr own answers.)
5. Using direct quotes: make sure you use quotation marks, and MLA citation rules (see also sample Q and
A). Introduce the point and conclude in yr OWN words. Use quotes ONLY to support (not as a
substitution) – see also sample answer on page 4.
Example: Sherman Alexie does not hide that it might be fun for “Indians” to (sometimes) take
advantage of stereotypes that “dominant” culture cultivates in order to benefit in small ways; he jokes,
“When highly attractive German women show up on the reservation, Indian men suddenly become
shamans” (NPR interview). However, according to Tom Jones, in “Alexie is Talking Total Rubbish,”
Indians only “continue to disadvantage themselves and ruin their image by playing along with
stereotypes, no matter how fun” (233). This is because...(continue your reasoning, and conclude).
Books:
Articles/Chapters:
Ten Little Indians, by Sherman Alexie (3 Questions)
“I Hated Tonto (and Still Do),” by Sherman Alexie
“The Approximate Size of his Favourite Humour.” by
Joseph Coulomb
“Sherman Alexie’s Indigenous Blues,” by Douglas Ford
“Narrating the Self,” by Elinor Ochs and Lisa Capps
“Unveiling: Persepolis as Embodied Performance,” by
Jennifer Worth
Africa is a Country: the online contemporary African
issues magazine
Persepolis 1 &2 by Marjane Satrapi (3 Questions)
Dark Star Safari, by Paul Theroux (3 Questions)
Netherland, by Joseph O’Neill (1 Question)
SHERMAN ALEXIE AND ACCOMPANIYING ARTICLES (ALEXIE, COULOMB, FORD)
1. Alexie, in his own short essay, “I Hated Tonto (and Still Do),” shows us that our cultural artefacts
(films, books, etc.) can build up an “image repertoire” – leading us to create powerful expectations of
how an “Indian” is supposed to be/how an “Indian” should behave. Even actual Native Americans have
trouble negotiating the minefield of stereotypes, as we saw with Corliss.
Q. What’s the problem with a little harmless Lone Ranger/Tonto (or the films that we watch
nowadays, containing not-exactly-“real” depictions of Indians/US history), according to Alexie and
our class discussion (not just your feelings)? This answer needs to be well reasoned – use an example
from one of the short stories, and quote Alexie’s “I Hated Tonto” appropriately to prove your point.
2. In class, we discussed how Alexie is careful “replace” our erroneous viewpoints and images of Native
Americans with the “real.” In his NPR interview, he says that “romanticising” Indians allows us to
erase modern realities that Indians face, and “disappear” some nasty history, too. BUT while Alexie
attempts to show that you can go beyond the mediocrity that’s expected of you – the low expectations
of your own group, and those outside your group – often, there’s a price to pay for going outside of
expectations: some subtle lessons, others more painful.
a) Why does Alexie give us stories about characters, who, for the most part, have “unromantic,” and
quite boring lives/ordinary problems? (Use the NPR interview/class discussion to help back up your
point). But really, this is an easy one. A short answer is fine.
b) Using a particular character/story (different from answer to Q.1), illustrate how Alexie shows us
that Indians (or anyone) shouldn’t have to be stuck within low expectations, or the “romanticised”
expectations. Show us how a character “left,” aimed for more, and what they experienced: how
did they get over being stuck in the stereotypical mode? Or: how did they get struck down?
3. Joseph Coulomb and Douglas Ford’s articles help us see the nuances in Alexie’s writing, and see the
depth beyond the simple fun in his stories. Coulomb plots out the complex ways Alexie uses humour in
his writing; he argues that Alexie’s brand of humour conveys a whole list of things, including some
contradictory things. Ford links the way in which Alexie equates Blues history – something we
associate with African-American history – with Native American history and experience. (2 POINTS)
a) How does Alexie’s humour allow him to address “dangerous” US history (and present realities)
faced by Native Americans (use class discussion, here), but to also “create” and “break” personal bonds
between people? (See Coulomb 94-95, 98-100 (or the 1-2, 5-7pages)). A short, well-reasoned answer
will do.
b) Ford shows us that people who experience colonial conquest/genocide often feel that the only way to
preserve their culture is to “preserve tradition,” and to be “authentic.” Alexie shows, however, that it is
possible to participate in modernity without “losing” your “indigenous credentials”/ “authenticity.”
How does Alexie borrow from “the idioms of the Blues,” in particular, and also reference
pop/modern culture, showing us that being “hybrid” is essential for survival and sanity? Use class
discussion about what the Blues “do,” and Ford, pp. 197-100 (or 1-4). This answer needs to be wellreasoned, with appropriate quotes from Ford to support your points.
MARJANNE SATRAPI AND ACCOMPANYING ARTICLES (OCHS AND CAPPS, WORTH)
4. We discussed, in class, how Marjane is “overwhelmed by choice” when she first steps into an Austrian grocery
store. But she does not necessarily have choice, or “access” to the “free, secular Europe,” just because there are
so many products available to her. Her friends, too, have free access to ideas and the ability to make life
choices freely, but…they are often shallow and ignorant.
Q. What, in particular, do we see as the inherent problems in a capitalist/free country (where everything
is available and allowed), where there is “freedom” to choose your purchases, become knowledgeable (or
not), and to learn about others? What does the situation in the shop, and her conversations with Austrians
(showing us her experiences as an “independent” girl in Austria) illustrate, for us about the supposedly “free”
and “secular” Europe? Your answer here will have to be well reasoned, and include class discussion.
Happy you for paying attention and participating!
5. In class, we discussed how Marjane uses all sots of interesting, non-textual methods to draw our attention to
situations, inviting us into the intellectual journey, and including her readers as co-creators of the story. In fact,
Jennifer Worth argues that “when experiences cannot be captured by language,” Satrapi stops using “text” (or
writing) altogether, and relies only on the power of the image (Worth 144; 146-152). Worth also argues that the
format of a comic conveys Satrapi’s story in a manner comparable to theatre, using the body and images to
“perform” meaning.
Q. How does Satrapi invite us into co-creating the story, specifically without using text? How does she use
images and spaces (and some other fun techniques) to “perform” things that words cannot convey? Use a
specific sequence of images to explain, and quote a relevant portion of Worth to help prove your point.
6. Most of us may find Marjane’s parents’ honesty to be quite shocking; and we see that Satrapi – even when she
was a child – has a powerful desire to narrate her experience, and blurt out the “truth” of her experience. At the
same time, it’s obvious that Iran’s dictatorial and intrusive governmental hand reaches out to “silence” any
dissent. Elinor Ochs and Lisa Capps, in their article, refer to the role memoirs have in undoing the efforts to
“silence” people by authority figures (Ochs and Capps 32-7).
Q. Discuss, intelligently, why M’s parents may have felt the need to disclose details of the political travesties
that parents in our country might hide from a child (in your discussion, contrast their behaviour with that of Iran’s
political regime’s attempts to control). How does Satrapi’s adult act of writing a memoir a part of her own desire
to “uncover” those silences? (Refer to/quote what Ochs and Capps argue about “silencing” in order to back up
your point).
PAUL THEROUX’S DARK STAR SAFARI AND COURSEPACKET REVIEWS, LINKS
7. When we began reading Paul Theroux’ Dark Star Safari, I warned you that while he presents his real
experiences of “Africa,” his is a version that sort of panders to our existing expectations. We see
mentions of “naked tribesmen” and “ornaments” (119, 145), natives sitting in the sun doing nothing
(293), despotic dictators and nations “where nothing has improved” (301): all part of “the African
story” of failure. Maybe he just saw what he went in expecting to see/wrote what he thought his readers
would respond to.
Q. Compare specific points in Theroux’s version of the “African story” to some specifics in the
stories published on the contemporary African journal, Africa is a Country
(http://africasacountry.com/). How, specifically, do these stories provide a different perspective from
those of Theroux? Don’t ramble – compare specific points in Theroux/give the title of the stories you
use from the web journal (provide web addresses) to make your point. I’ve listed some on the
Coursepacket, but you can cruise around, see what you want to read.
8. It’s clear that Theroux despises every aid worker he runs into. In his review of Theroux’s travel
memoir, John Ryle of The Guardian (link on WEEK 7) states, “Throughout the remainder of his
account of his trip we are reminded of the uselessness of aid workers and, in particular, the offensive
luxury of the vehicles they drive around in.”
Q. Relate why, particularly, Theroux dislikes aid workers – specify an instance, and relate what
happens. Why does John Ryle mock T’s surprise at not getting lifts/rides from aid workers? (This
is an easy one – if you’ve been reading.)
9. Link to the BBC site at the end of the short article, and view: "Mapping Africa" (link on W 9 - we
saw it in class). In that short narration about the maps made of Africa, we see that the continent was
(and continues to be) populated with diverse language-groups (much like Europe), thriving civilisations
that produce(d) systems of knowledge, producing many trade goods for which there were/are
established routes of trade. But: in class, a Discussion Leader spoke about how the persistent view
of Africa as a perpetual basketcase helps us to view it as a place that needs the aid workers and
“western” nations’ “intervention.”
Q. Explain/reason out why this view of Africa as a “Dark Continent” with miles of unpopulated
(but resource-rich) land, incapable/unintellectual and barbaric (but hyper-sexualised) people, and
violent, despotic leaders helps us maintain an exploitative relationship with this “basketcase.” Why
does this view help us divide it up for our uses? Use the class discussion, your own brilliant rhetoric.
JOSEPH O’NEILL’S NETHERLAND AND INTERVIEW
10. In Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland, we meet a whole host of people who live on “both sides of the
hyphen,” as Sherman Alexie might put it – being in America, while being very much something else,
too – without “disturbing” either side of their “being.”
Q. What does O’Neill say, in his interview about why this ability to maintain a multiplicity is
possible for modern immigrants in ways that were not for previous waves of immigrants (link on
W9)? How do these new possibilities affect a modern city inhabitant’s understanding of nationality and
national loyalty, according to class discussion about the book?
SAMPLE QUESTION AND ANSWER:
Look at some of the specific sequences that Jennifer Worth discuses in her article. She argues that a
comic format allows a writer/artist to do certain things that a traditional narrative (writing) or a
memoir does not, making the audience “participants” in the storytelling.
Q. What does the comic art form allow a skilled artist/writer to convey that a “normal”
narrative does not, creating bonds with readers that words alone may not convey? Use a specific
sequence of events/panels to illustrate your point.
A. Jennifer Worth uses the sequences involving Marjanne’s embarrassing/mysterious/unplanned body
changes in puberty to illustrate – comically – the discomforts of adolescence, taking “a break from the
forward thrust of her narrative to illustrate these physical changes point by point across several panels”
(Worth 150, 151): here, the panels allow us, as readers, to stop and reflect, and have fun, rather than be
driven by a plot/description provided by the words. [you see that the main point is introduced/
concluded by YOU, and augmented/supported by the quote – the quote is no substitute for your own
words]. When we see the images, we remember our own horrible and embarrassing discomforts in our
own adolescent experiences, and connect with the universal experience of being “surprised” by
puberty. Once again, we forget to think of Iranians as “crazed terrorists” and as an “Other” too far
from our own experiences; we connect with Satrapi as a fellow human being with far more in common
with us than we ever imagined. Worth points out that in illustrating how Marjane changes “physically
from a child into a woman over the course of fourteen years,” she links “her physical experiences to
mental and emotional transformations”(146); while the images about her adolescent embarrassments
are all very funny, these frames also highlight the way in which Satrapi’s “external changes” are
reflective of more internal/ philosophical/ political/ social changes (150). [here, you see: effective use
of quotes to support your answer – the quote is actually relevant to the point, not just some random
quote you’ve dumped in]. We, as readers, respond to the visual cues intellectually and emotionally,
replacing “missing” words with a story that arrives in our own minds that relate to our own
experiences. In this way, the readers are far more involved in co-creating the story; we are participants
who absorb the story better. [here, you conclude in your own words, after checking that your answer
actually addresses what the question asks – you may say something brilliant, but if it isn’t what the Q.
asks, it will be a sad day…]