ENG 208 - Culture Shock Essay (Jordan)

2. Explore Your Topic

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  Try a search in the following database to learn more about the works of literature you will be writing about.  

Note: Please note that for older works, spelling was not formalized, and you will often see variations. This is important for searching - you may need to search multiple spellings. examples - Beowolf vs. Beowulf, or Virgil vs. Vergil.

Note: Most of the works in your textbook are excerpts of the entire work. It may help to find a copy of the full work. The library catalog or either of our eBook databases may have copies of many of the works you are studying.  See links to The Prince and The Analects below.  Also, some works may be found at Project Gutenberg which can be found at this link https://www.gutenberg.org/. Please be aware that the quality of translations vary. If you choose to look at the entire work that does not count as the required secondary sources.

Analyze the Works

Questions to Ask Yourself

When and where did the work take place? (place and time)

How does the time and place the work was written affect the work? (historical and cultural context)

Who are the major characters? (protagonist / antagonist / others)

How does Confucius define a gentleman? How does this compare with the qualities and actions of the major characters?

Who are the minor characters and how do they affect the work?