• I. Written Paper: Choices, Choices, Choices!
Write a critical analysis of the women’s and girls’ lives in the historical novel, The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. Be sure to address both Part One and Part Two of this assignment. (See additional instructions at end of this document.)
PART ONE: Select ONE of the four options:
Option A: Women’s Communication Styles, Patterns and Relationships with One Another
Describe and analyze women’s and girls’ communication styles, patterns and relationships with one another. Be sure also to consider to what extent, if at all, do kinship (family), ethnicity (culture), and the ages of the women and girls affect women’s communication patterns and relationships. Which concepts and theories from Tannen and Angier best illustrate and/or support your observations? Why these? Explain/use examples.
Option B: Women’s Communication Styles, Patterns and Relationships with Boys and Men.
Describe and analyze the women’s and girls’ communication styles, patterns and relationships with men and boys. Be sure to consider how, if at all, “patriarchy†(cf. men’s power) affects how women communicate in this novel. Also address how, if at all, do women exhibit and share power with men? And consider, how, if at all, do kinship (family), ethnicity (culture) and the ages of women, men, girls and boys affect cross-gender communication? Which concepts and theories from Tannen and Angier best illustrate and/or support your observations? Why these? Explain/use examples.
Option C: Women’s Communication, Spirituality and Sexuality
Discuss Diamant’s constructions of women’s spirituality and sexuality in the time of Genesis as revealed in this novel. Consider the following: What are practices in the novel that contribute to women’s spirituality? How, if at all, are spirituality and sexuality linked? What are the roles of female deities, e.g., goddesses, in the women’s daily relationships, sexuality, and spiritual life? How, if at all, do the female deities in Canaan and Egypt co-exist with the presumed male “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob†and the gods of Egypt respectively? Finally, how, if at all, does the “red tent†itself (as both an actual physical object and a symbolic object) inform and/or sustain the women’s lives, relationships, spirituality and sexuality? Use course resources, e.g., Angier and Tannen to aid in your analysis.
Option D: Comparing the Women of Genesis and with Their Re-Constructions in The Red Tent
Compare and contrast the [New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) preferred] biblical account of the story of Dinah and her family in Genesis with Diamant’s fictionalized presentation of Dinah and her family in the Red Tent. Identify the major similarities and differences in these two “stories.†What do you find most provocative about the similarities and differences and why? How, if at all, are gendered-gazes (e.g., male gaze and female gaze) present in these two stories? Explain. How, if at all, does Diamant’s presentation reinforce, expand, and/or challenge your understandings of female/male roles and relationships during the time of Genesis? today? How, if all, does Diamant’s presentation reinforce, expand, and/or challenge your understandings of women’s relationships with the “Divine?†Other? Use Angier and other course sources for your analysis. Other outside sources are encouraged but not required.
PART TWO: Recommendations
Discuss why you would or would not recommend this novel. If you would
recommend it, explain to whom you would recommend it to and why. If you
don’t recommend the novel for any group of readers, also explain why.
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ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
a. This paper should be typed (12 inch font), double-spaced, and four to five pages in length. Include a title page; no folders.
b. Clearly indicate on your title page if you are answering Option A, B, C, or D. You can only select one option.
c. Be sure to use text authors to assist in your analysis. Cite relevant reference pages within the text of your paper (e.g., Angier, p 202) or use footnotes. When appropriate, also use class discussions, course documents and films.
d. Stronger papers will draw from multiple parts of the novel, e.g., Parts One, Two and Three. Papers that only discuss and draw examples from Part One will be graded lower than those that use the full novel.
e. Do your own work. Do not cut and paste reviews from Internet websites. The abrupt changes in writing styles are both noticeable and very annoying to read. Students will upload their papers through Blackboard and bring hard copies to class. Blackboard will scan for plagiarized work. Students caught plagiarizing will fail this assignment.
f. If you use sources other than course materials, use a reference page. Cite all sources used.
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