Week Two Discussion: Versailles, Velázquez, and Rubens--Please answer all of the questions listed below--

• Versailles contains many symbols of power and absolute monarchy. Describe a feature of the palace you admire and discuss how a computer program or game might create it this feature today.  Use the text as a source and research on line for a computer program to discuss. Consider the gardens, Hall of Mirrors, the layout of the palace itself, the furniture, the number of rooms, and paintings. 
• Here is a link to a website that discusses how to design a game: http://www.gameskinny.com/yljvh/how-to-make-a-game-a-beginners-guide 
• Peter Paul Rubens was one of Louis XIV's favorite artists.  Describe a painting by Rubens that shows the grandeur and extravagance of Versailles. Include a copy of that picture with your post and explain why you think the king liked Rubens so much.                                         Here is a weblink with information about Rubens: Rubens and Poussin at http://www.visitmuseums.com/exhibition/from-baroque-to-classicism-rubens-poussin-and-17th-85 and http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/p/poussin/biograph.html

As part of your post this week, give us the name of the selection that you will be writing about for Assignment One and explain why you chose that selection. Look at the tab in Week Four marked Assignment One for more details or look in the Student Center. Here is a list of the selections and some information about assignment one:

Assignment 1: Essay Due Week 4 and worth 100 points

Choose one (1) of the three (3) reading selections from the list of topic choices below. The focus is on brief but important primary source material written by major authors. Read the selections as identified with each topic below. Write a three to four (3-4) paragraph essay (250 words minimum) which analyzes the “surprise ending” of the reading selection. 

Topic Choices

• Reading selection from Descartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV). Descartes begins with a proof of one basic conclusion and ends with a proof of something much grander. Remember to focus on the surprise and point of realization, not the details of the philosophical argument. Read Part IV of the Discourse on the Method located at http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1637.pdf (then scroll down to Part 4, pp. 14-18). This is only four or five (4 or 5) pages of the larger work.
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• Reading selection of Swift’s A Modest Proposal. It is essential to recognize the genre of this work, as discussed in our class text, which you should consult and cite. Swift promotes a radical solution, but subtle options are mentioned. You are looking for surprise and a point of realization. Read and focus on A Modest Proposal located at http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/swift/modest.html. 
• Two (2) reading selections from Voltaire’s Candide. Consider how these readings start and end in terms of the action and the beliefs. You are looking for surprise and a point of realization. These selections can be found on pp. 840-841 in the textbook. In addition, consult the class text at pp. 824-825.
• Assignment 1: Essay (additional topic choices) 

 

Dickens and Social Criticism: What Price Progress? 

Chose one of the four reading selections by Charles Dickens from the textbook, as listed below:

1. Old Curiosity Shop, p. 922.
2. Sketches by Boz, p. 923.
3. Dombey and Son, p. 927.
4. Hard Times, p. 928-29.

Read the selection you chose and answer the following questions in paragraph format, five or six paragraphs (600 word minimum), for a total of two pages.

1. Summarize the main ideas in the selection, including the thesis or main point, and five important details.
2. Explain economic conditions in London at this time, including housing, labor, and family life.
3. Define literary realism and show how Dickens uses the technique in his writing.
4. List three reasons Dickens wants changes for people living in London.