Write a response to only one of the following questions.
Use this link for one of the readings
1. Analyze one set of Surah(s) as given here:
12 and 19 or
93 and 96 or
108-114 or
55
What is the basis of its poetic quality? To what conclusions do you arrive at after reading this particular Surah(s) that contradict prevalent notions of Islam through the western gaze? In what ways do you draw “power” from this text?
2. The Qur’an is essentially a text of transmission through recitation and interpretation through careful study. Through your readings of a select sura(s) and/or ayats, and the frames provided in my lecture, how do you contradict larger stereotypical western notions about the Qur’an? Do you find your new readings empowering or powerful and why? That is, your paper should not reflect tired old (and more recent) western stereotypes, but instead, share a new understanding or epiphany you had after reading the text and listening to the lesson. Avoid dealing with all the issues in one paper, but rather, focus in and talk on one key theme that arises for you and use that to build a thesis for your paper.
3. Mysticism is at once a way to God and possibly an insurrection against orthodoxies of religion. How do you understand some of the transgressions staged in the poetics of at least two poets in this tradition? Choose your pairing carefully of mystics and read their poetry closely to make your points. You are expected to cite knowledge you gain from my PPT and audio lecture for this paper. Where and what exactly can you articulate is the power of these mystical texts? As you choose the two mystics you will write about, be sure to contextualize their time, place, and your intention in bringing them together in your paper.
