Reference no: EM133236506

Question 1

Read the following excerpts from Faust and the book of Job before you answer the question.

Mephistopheles

No, Lord! I find things there, as ever, in sad plight.

Men, in their evil days, move my compassion;

Such sorry things to plague is nothing worth.

The Lord

Know'st thou my servant, Faust?

Mephistopheles

(5) The doctor?

The Lord

Right.

Mephistopheles

He serves thee truly in a wondrous fashion.

Poor fool! His food and drink are not of earth.

An inward impulse hurries him afar,

(10) Himself half conscious of his frenzied mood;

From heaven claimeth he the fairest star,

And from the earth craves every highest good,

And all that's near, and all that's far,

Fails to allay the tumult in his blood.

The Lord

(15) Though in perplexity he serves me now,

I soon will lead him where more light appears;

When buds the sapling, doth the gardener know

That flowers and fruit will deck the coming years.

Mephistopheles

What wilt thou wager? Him thou yet shall lose,

(20) If leave to me thou wilt but give,

Gently to lead him as I choose!

The Lord

So long as he on earth doth live,

So long 'tis not forbidden thee.

Man still must err, while he doth strive.

Mephistopheles

(25) I thank you; for not willingly

I traffic with the dead, and still aver

That youth's plump blooming cheek I very much prefer.

I'm not at home to corpses; 'tis my way,

Like cats with captive mice to toy and play.

The Lord

(30) Enough! 'tis granted thee! Divert

This mortal spirit from his primal source;

Him, canst thou seize, thy power exert

And lead him on thy downward course,

Then stand abash'd, when thou perforce must own,

(35) A good man in his darkest aberration,

Of the right path is conscious still.

Mephistopheles

'Tis done! Full soon thou'lt see my exultation;

As for my bet no fears I entertain.

And if my end I finally should gain,

(40) Excuse my triumphing with all my soul.

Dust he shall eat, ay, and with relish take,

As did my cousin, the renowned snake.1

The Lord

Here too thou'rt free to act without control;

I ne'er have cherished hate for such as thee.

(45) Of all the spirits who deny,

The scoffer is least wearisome to me.

Ever too prone is man activity to shirk,

In unconditioned rest he fain would live;

Hence this companion purposely I give,

(50) Who stirs, excites, and must, as devil, work.

But ye, the genuine sons of heaven, rejoice!

In the full living beauty still rejoice!

May that which works and lives, the ever-growing,

In bonds of love enfold you, mercy-fraught,

(55) And Seeming's changeful forms, around you flowing,

Do ye arrest, in ever-during thought!

(Heaven closes, the Archangels disperse.)

1 "So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life." Genesis 3:14

The book of Job excerpt

6One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it."

8Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

9"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10"Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

12The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

The allusion in lines 41-42 ("Dust he shall eat ... snake") serves to convey details the author does not want to have to spell out create imagery that evokes sympathy for Mephistopheles's cousin depict Faust's unavoidable fate to be like the serpent in the Garden of Eden provide a rationale for why Mephistopheles wants to woo and destroy Faust reveal the parallels between Goethe's story and the biblical story of Job

Question 2

An archetypal literary critic would argue that some allusions endure because they

a. appeal to scholarly audiences who expect references to other literature

b. follow a pattern or contain a "type" that the human mind knows unconsciously c. make character and plot development much easier for the author of the new work

d. rely on the popularity of the original work to attract readers and create meaning e. reveal the shortcomings of the stereotypes in the original literary work

Question 3

Based on the readings in the lesson, which archetype is most fitting for the Sirens?

a. The damsel in distress

b. The devil figure

c. The mentor

d. The temptress

e. The scapegoat

Question 4

Which archetypal situation is represented in the excerpt of The Odyssey?

a. Man has a burning desire to explore.

b. Man needs his friends to help him.

c. Woman rejects man.

d. Woman surprises man.

e. Woman tempts man.

Question 5

Job loses everything in his story, to tempt him to go astray. Faust gains everything he desires. What universal truth do the authors of both stories reveal?

a. Being able to endure the loss of possessions reveals strength.

b. Gaining material possessions is better than losing them.

c. Health is more important than material possessions.

d. Material possessions affect humanity's happiness.

e. Seeking material wealth directly impacts one's physical health.