Here are a few tips about how to approach the final exam.

When reviewing the texts since the midterm:

Think about connections across texts; identify overlapping themes, significant contrasts

Try to identify the most important passages in each text, ones that are good examples of the author’s style or convey an important idea in the work. These would be good passages to quote from and analyze.

Consider themes and characters from the perspective of the author—what is the author’s message, and what choices does he or she make to communicate this message to the audience?

Think about the key themes and ideas introduced earlier in the semester. How do our readings from the second half of the course develop those themes? Do you see new themes emerge in these later readings?

When writing your essay:

Don’t summarize plots; instead focus on answering the question by presenting your own ideas about the text using passages and/or specific examples to illustrate your answer.

Quote but quote selectively. Don’t include long passages if you aren’t really offering your own analysis of those passages. And never quote as a way of recapping plot.

Don’t rephrase my question in your intro; instead use your introduction to give a sense of how you plan on answering the question

As a rule of thumb, you should plan on writing at least a couple of bluebook pages per text (and more would probably be better). If you end up with only 4-5 pages, this is a sign that you haven’t answered the question as well as you could and that you need to say more.

Good luck and let me know if you have questions about the material (not exam format) as you prepare.