Essay 3 Assignment:
Orientalism and the relationship of
East and West
We began this module with the question of
how Western literature captures and describes the East. Why is Western perception of the East is problematic? Edward Said offers a complete analysis that answers this larger question. Historically, the West has led a calculating and intentional assessment of the West with the goal of shaping the East for the benefit of the West. The missing link here is discussion of the effects of Western writing and presence on the peoples and lands of the East.
For Essay 3 you may work with one texts we have discussed. (i.e.
“”Shooting an Elephant” and “Araby”). You are required to use 3-4 outside, scholarly sources. ** Course text do not count as one of the 3-4 outside sources**
Your essay should work to argue how the story and/or poem speaks to the relationship between East and West. You may argue the relationship is fair, problematic, exploitative, romantic, mysterious, etc. Your argument should be supported with specific textual moments and expanded analysis. The goal is to connect specific moments from the text to the larger idea of Orientalism.1500 wordsuse of 3-4 outside sourcesWorks Cited page / in- text citations
Some Brainstorming Questions:
3. How does George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” present an alternative example of the East/West relationship? Why is the officer’s psychology significant? Why do you think Orwell builds the British officer in this way? Perhaps the officer’s fear and conflict is meant to challenge the historical description of imperialistic figures as they are consistently presented in a different light (controlling, dominating, relentless).