The Age Of Enlightenment

Please write about 2 of the following 3 works in response to the suggestions below: Aphra Behn, Oroonoko; Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels; Voltaire, Candide. Be sure to have a compelling thesis and to base your argument on textual evidence. Start early, so that you have time to develop your ideas, and be sure to proofread carefully. All work must be your own; please be sure that you understand what constitutes plagiarism to avoid unpleasant penalties. Papers must be at least 5 full double-spaced pages and no more than 7 pages. They should be written in the Humanities format (see the Humanities Writing Handbook for guidelines). By submitting your essay to Canvas, you acknowledge that it will be subject to a text similarity review in turnitin.com.  Do not include a separate title page. Do not include a work cited page, only use the assigned materials. Italicize the title of long works and put quotation marks around the title of short works.    The fate of reason in the Age of Enlightenment. What is the role of reason in Oroonoko, Gulliver’s Travels, and/or Candide (pick 2 of 3)? Questions that you may consider when developing your argument include: are the writers optimistic or pessimistic? Do they suggest that reason solves problems or causes new ones? How does human reason relate to the representation of science and religion in the works in question? (Please note: you need not answer each of these questions in your essay. They are merely suggestions to help you start thinking about the topic).   Betwixt and Between. Oroonoko, Gulliver’s Travels, and Candide depict travel and encounters with alien peoples; in some cases, they also portray characters torn between two worlds. Write a thesis-driven, evidence-based essay on two of the following characters: Oroonoko, Gulliver, or Candide. To what extent are they typical representatives of their native cultures, and to what extent do they differ from their fellow Africans, Europeans, or Englishmen? Are they proud or ashamed of their own culture? Do they reject or admire foreign cultures? Why?   The role of the body in the age of the mind. Kant commands us to think for ourselves; Swift suggests that people think best when they are “at stool”, that is, sitting on the toilet. Gulliver’s Travels is a work of political satire and literary parody, but it is also a book about the human body, and the same could be said of Oroonoko and Candide. Write a thesis-driven, evidence-based essay on the relationship between mind and body in two of these three works. Books: Aphra Behn, Oroonoko (Penguin Classics, e-ISBN  9780141915982) https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Aphra_Behn_Oroonoko?id=PGO0QvbP7Y8C  (Links to an external site.) Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (Oxford World Classics, e-ISBN 9780191579615)   (Links to an external site.)  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jonathan_Swift_Gulliver_s_Travels?id=F0eQ52cRukAC Voltaire, Candide, or Optimism (Penguin Classics, ISBN 978-0140 4400 41) Available for free at: https://archive.org/details/voltairecandide/page/n55/mode/2up