Topics for Essay 2

 
    I am providing this list of topics along with the instructions for good interpretation from the Essay 1 list.  Please review the instructions, as well as the comments I made on Essay 1, in order to prepare Essay 2.  Remember that the topics as I list them are not thesis statements, but require further work to be developed into thesis statements.  They are merely general topics.  If you wish to write on a topic not listed below, please consult with me.

I  believe a good interpretive essay should contain the following things:
 
 1) a good thesis statement of what you are going to prove in the paper.  The criteria for a good thesis statement are two:

• it must be controversial, which is to say, you must be able to imagine someone reasonably disagreeing with it (otherwise it's probably not worthy of argument);
• it must be provable using evidence from the text.

2) good use of quoted material.  A good paper discusses specific aspects of the language of the text, often telling me things about that language that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.  A very good method for incorporating quoted material is as follows:

• first, introduce the quotation with some general statement of its place in the complete text, how it fits into your argument, or some other general introductory comment, usually followed with a colon (":");
• then quote from the text, using only as much of the text's language as you will go on to discuss, but enough to have your quotation make grammatical and syntactical sense (i.e., don't quote fragments out of context);
• finally, and perhaps most importantly, interpret your quotation, telling your readers things about the specific features of the text that perhaps are not immediately noticeable to the casual reader.

 3) a clear and well-developed structure.  Structure is a matter of how an essay is put together.  Each paragraph should treat a separate idea, each dedicated to proving the thesis.  Paragraph should follow paragraph logically, so that the argument is developed over the course of the entire paper.  Each paragraph should be internally well-developed, so that it doesn't leave an aspect of the idea unstated (beware of short paragraphs comprised of only a few sentences).  Paragraphs should not wander from the general topic of the thesis statement, nor should they wander from the particular idea of that paragraph.

 4) clear and grammatical sentences.  Good ideas can only be understood when expressed in clear and grammatical language, so I will also be considering these aspects of your paper in grading it.

Topics:

1.    Discuss Jonah as a satire on the genre of prophecy, reflecting on the function of satire in general.

2.    Discuss the nature of prophetic utterance by doing a close reading of selected passage in Ezekiel.

3.    Assess the differing functions of two or more of the gospels by referring to passages which offer variations on a similar theme.

4.    Do a close reading of a parable or a healing story, suggesting how it engages its reader as a work of literature.

5.    Discuss the relation between the genre of gospel and the genre of biography.  What is gospel doing that is different/the same as biography, and to what ends?

6.    Assess the relation between Judaism and Christianity as it is revealed in the gospels.  There was no "Christianity" as such when the gospels were written (at most, a kind of Christian Judaism), but one still notes tensions between the followers of Jesus and the established Jewish religion.  Related topics include:  discussing Jesus's relation to Jewish law or discussing the issue of "newness" as it relates to the movement surrounding Jesus in the gospels.

7.    Do a comparative character study of Jesus, exploring issues of his varying personalities in the four gospels, in terms which go beyond the issues discussed in class.

8.    Discuss the differences and similarities between the four passion narratives, in terms of the influence they might have on the newly organizing Christian Church in the early centuries C.E.

9.    Evaluate the relation between Judaism and Christianity as it is revealed in the Letter to the Hebrews.  How does the Letter alter the Hebrew Bible and what do you make of these alterations?

10.    Do a comparison of prophecy and apocalypse as genres, using Revelation as your example of apocalypse.  What different ends do the two genres serve?

11.    Discuss the nature and ends of apocalypse as genre.  What kind of literature is apocalyptic literature and how does it work in individual passages?

12.  Do a close reading of the interpretation of one of the films from the Biblical Film Festival.  What particular view of Jesus does the film take?