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Choose any one of the topics below for your paper. Make sure to indicate, on the cover page, which topic you are choosing (i.e., topic number 1, 2, or 3). Also, come up with a title that closely fits the topic of your choice. For this paper you need to do some outside reading: one to two essays, which you will make sure to list in the bibliography. For essays, you may go to Jstor, or Project Muse or the MLA http://www.400190.com/thesis_proposal/2010/0727/170.htmlBibliography, available through Queens College Library online (click on Databases, then on Jstor, or Project Muse, or MLA), or, go to the library, in person. Make sure you cite correctly the essays (one to two) that you consult for this paper. (Wikipedia, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Grade Saver and any website that does not end with “edu” do not qualify). Make sure you include a “Bibliography” page at the end of the paper, which lists all the sources you have used to write your paper. If you do not know how to cite a particular source consult The MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers (LB 2369 .G53 1999) available at Queens College library. Avoid vagueness such as, "there was this man" (who?), or "He said, and she said, and then he went..." Avoid repetitions of the same word(s), sentences or colloquial expressions, such as, "this is what I think, ... this is what I think... this is what I think..." Proofread your paper at least three times before you hand it in. The paper is to include footnotes and bibliography and is to be seven pages in length (not counting the bibliography or the title pages).

1) In the Poetics Aristotle says that “it is in their actions that [human beings] universally meet with success or failure.” In the Nicomachean Ethics he writes that reason and the “Golden Mean” are important virtues and if human beings act according to the rule of these virtues they can attain happiness. In light of these views, discuss the characters of the monk and the abbot in story 4 of day I of the Decameron. Explain how it is that they fail. Make sure to include specific examples (and quotations) from the Decameron. Including and discussing specific examples from your primary source, will help you support your view(s). In addition to the primary text, you are required to quote from outside criticism. Explain and give examples.

2) In the Decameron, ten young men and women abandon the plague stricken Florence and seek refuge in the countryside in order to escape death. Some people feel that this was an immoral act and that they should have remained in order to help the dying. Others, on the other hand, feel that they did the right thing by moving away from the decaying plague. What, in your opinion, should have been the moral response to the unforgiving plague? Explain and give examples.

3) Explain how story telling in the Decameron has proven beneficial for both the narrators and the listeners. And finally, what has story telling taught you? For this question you can also refer to the other texts discussed in this class. Explain and give examples.#p#分頁標(biāo)題#e#

IMPORTANT NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Using someone else’s work and not “citing” or “quoting” constitutes plagiarism—a form of theft. If you copy a passage from a book, an article or an Internet source, dissertation的反剽竊檢測make sure you cite the passage in quotation marks and cite the author and publication of the article, book, or electronic source. It is extremely easy to tell when someone has plagiarized or bought a paper on the Internet, especially now that "Queens College has a pilot license for the use of Turnitin, "a system that detects plagiarism by comparing students' essays to a large database of essays and web content" (Queens College Provost Office). Anyone who either plagiarizes or buys a paper on Internet will get an “F” grade both for the paper and for the class.
The paper should be: 7 pages long (that is double space, not triple-space), 12 point Times New Roman font (not 14-18 point font). No more than a one-inch margin all around (not 2-3 inch-margins). The Title page (containing also your name and other info) should be a separate page. With the exception of the title page, all pages should be numbered. The first paragraph or page of the paper should contain an introduction plus your thesis. Remember, a thesis is derived from your conviction and views of the topic you chose to write on. That is, what does it all mean to you? The last line of this paragraph should look something like this: “In this essay I would like to analyze the relationship between individuality and marginalization in Cervantes’ Don Quixote.” Throughout the paper you should include examples and “quotations” from the text(s) of your analysis, which will help you support your views. Remember, “quotations” from the text(s) and outside sources are a requirement in a paper. Lastly, your conclusion should allow you to wrap up all you have brought to the paper plus your final views.