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Ideas for Writing Assignments
Below are some ideas for creating writing assignments for Brothers
Karamazov. You'll note that many of these assignments require
short responses. They are designed to enhance students' understanding
of the novel and to challenge their critical thinking and writing
skills. Prompts for longer papers can be found at Ideas
for Writing.
- Ivan's vision of the church as society (Book Two). Julie
Kalish asked her students to visit her chat space and to come
to a consensus about how Ivan's understanding of crime in this
chapter (i.e., what crime would be if the church were society)
rationally leads to his idea that without immortality, everything
is permissible. The students were required to write up a single
paragraph in response. The chat that led to the final paragraph
was exceptional.
- The Grand Inquisitor. Julie Kalish asked her students
to write a two-paragraph essay. In the first paragraph, students
were to summarize Ivan's Grand Inquisitor argument. In the second,
they were to reread the "So Be It!" chapter in Book
Two. Then they were asked to examine the distinction between these
two ideas of the church taking over. She required students in
this essay to pay attention to the rules for writing a good paragraph.
In short, the paragraphs must have good topic sentences and should
be well crafted and concise.
- Alyosha the monk. Julie Kalish asked her students the
following question: "Why must Alexei leave the monastery?
Think about this question from all available angles - not just
practical, but philosophical; not just from Alexei's point of
view, but also from Zosima's. Be sure to take Zosima's philosophical
and religious discussions fully into account, and address his
claim that Alexei will suffer much, but find happiness in suffering.
When you have thought these issues through, you will want to come
up with a single coherent argument to control your whole discussion."
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