Read carefully the attached passages from Jorge Luis Borges's
"The Garden of Forking Paths" (pp. 2117-2118) and Naguib Mahfouz's
"Zaabalawi" (p. 2215) and then write a substantial, well-developed
essay (4-6 pages, i.e. 1000-2000 words) comparing/contrasting, analyzing, and
addressing their significance and implications.
While you are free to determine the specific focus of your
essay, you may want to consider the following questions: Are there any common
images, situations, or symbols employed in the representation of the visions
of Yu Tsun and Mahfouz's narrator? What are the literal and possible symbolic
meanings of the protagonists's overall visions and of the specific details used
by the authors in their representation? What are the roles and significance
of figures such as Richard Madden, Stephen Albert, Wanas al-Damanhouri, and
Zaabalawi? What do you make of the use of images of gardens, water, trees, music,
stars, the sky, etc.? Is the common imagery related to common underlying ideas,
values, or purposes in the stories? What do the protagonists in the stories
learn from their respective visions? What messages do the authors seem to be
attempting to communicate to their readers? What do you make of the fact that
the authors of these stories belong to quite different cultures (Argentinian,
Egyptian)? What is the relation of the authors to the cultures within which
they wrote? Are there values and ideas implicit in literary works which may
transcend cultural differences? Are there other works which you read this semester
which may offer similar insights?
Formulate a clear thesis; offer full explanations; draw
the relevant conclusions/implications of your arguments; make sure to support
all your claims with textual evidence in the form of precise and well-explained
observations of the details, situations, characters, and language in the text(s)
discussed. Contextualize, historicize, and make comparisons to other works whenever
relevant. Remember that in whatever you choose to say, your essay must demonstrate
accuracy and skill in reading and writing, logical thinking, substantial analytical
accomplishment, and awareness of different levels of meaning and the complexities
of signification in literary texts.