Figure 1. Zach Braff and Natalie Portman in Garden State (2004)
Please answer the following 5 questions in a full paragraph or two [a "full" paragraph being something like 5-7 sentences], and always be sure to be as concrete, specific, and detailed as possible in your answers, even including direct quotations if that helps. Be sure to consult links on the Syllabus for help with these, and you may also use material beyond what I provide on the Syllabus if you think that would help -- just always be sure to properly attribute your sources and give credit for other person's ideas and writing.
1. What does Balin do to the Lady of the Lake, and how does Arthur and his court react to that?
2. What is the "dolorous stroke," and what happens as a result of that?
3. What did you learn from Christian Cotroneo's essay "The Politics of Violence in Malory's Treatment of the Arthurian Legend" that helped you understand better Balin's story?
4. Who was Thomas Malory and why do you think he was interested in compiling an anthology of all of the Arthurian stories (which he also modifed and revised, of course, to suit his own interests in the material).
5. What is wrong with Zach Braff's character Andrew Largeman in the film Garden State, and what does he learn about himself after going home?
Please respond to the following 2 prompts with at least TWO to THREE full paragraphs, and BE SURE to include in your responses very specific details from the works under discussion [specific scene and plot details, direct quotations of the text, etc.]. There are no right or wrong responses to the prompts below, but whatever your interpretation(s) of the narrative(s) you discuss, you MUST ground that interpretation in a very CLOSE attention to the small details and language of the work(s) under consideration.
1. How would you compare and contrast Gawain and Balin based on their respective quests and adventures?
2. How would you describe Garden State as a quest narrative?