Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. After what French writer do the Dadaists name their Cabaret at the Meierei Bar?
2. What composer's music reduces Lenin to tears int his section?
3. Why does Tzara quote so sparingly from Hugo Ball's diary in describing him to Joyce?
4. In 1917, who is about to join the Allies in the war?
5. In Lenin's poorly-remembered speech in this section, what does losing two revolutions look like?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Truth and confusion is a central theme of Travesties. The play itself is a story told by an elderly and senile man, and it examines the unlikeliness of ever knowing for certain with the truth of a story is. Write an essay about memory and confusion, focusing on three aspects of the play:
Part 1) This play opens and closes with monologues by Henry Carr, and throughout he interrupts the action to explain it and himself. What apologies and explanations does he make regarding his memory? At what points does he become defiant regarding the truth of his story?
Part 2) Throughout the play, Stoppard has what are called time slips, moments when the action repeats itself and changes slightly. What do these time slips reflect? When do they occur, and how do they change the meaning of much of the action?
Part 3) What, in the end, can the audience believe about Henry Carr's story? What assertions turn out to be completely false? What is Stoppard saying about the human inclination to self-mythologize?
Essay Topic 2
The dynamic between Age and Youth is a central conflict in Travesties. Write an essay about this dynamic. The first half of this essay should focus on the framing device of Old Carr. How are his senility and codified prejudices juxtaposed with the dynamism of Zurich in 1917? The second half of the essay should deal with the idea of the older Victorian era culture giving way to the more critical and free-form culture of Tzara and Joyce in 1917. How is this dynamic dramatized throughout the play?
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay about the character of Bennett. He is far an away the most cultivated and best-informed person in the play, but he is a manservant. Stoppard, in his cast notes, says that he should be "quite a weighty presence" (vii). What is Bennett's function int he script at the beginning of the play? How does Carr's leaving him in charge of the consulate affect Lenin's situation? What new revelations about his character are revealed in the final moments of the play?
|
This section contains 451 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
