Here is an example of a strong forum post:

Orgon’s reasoning behind offering his daughter, Mariane, to Tartuffe was that of an ultimate gift. Orgon saw so highly of Tartuffe that he was willing to give all of his worldly possessions to him. In this time, the agreement to give one’s daughter was probably of the highest regard, because not only did it offer purity but also permanently gave a position in the family. This would close the gap and bring the two men closer together in a sense. Orgon clearly states this to Mariane in Act 2 Scene 1 when he says, “Yes, Tartuffe shall be/ Allied by marriage to this family,/ And he’s to be your husband, is that clear?/ It’s a father’s privilege…” (l. 27-30)

Tartuffe’s lack of enthusiasm for the marriage to Mariane is simply because his interests do not dwell in her. He wants to satisfy his lust for Elmire. Dorine has the observation that Tartuffe has interest in Elmire and his quick acquiescence to stay and meet with her gives proof to the theory in Act 3 Scene 2 (l. 17-23):

TARTUFFE  Girl, speak more modestly; unless you do,
I shall be forced to take my leave of you.
DORINE    Oh, no, it’s I who must be on my way;
I’ve just one little message to convey.
Madame is coming down, and begs you, Sir,
To wait and have a word or two with her.
TARTUFFE  Gladly.
DORINE    [Aside.] That had a softening effect!
I think my guess about him was correct!

Tartuffe never really disagrees to the marriage of Mariane, he simply mentions that he has a different preference. In Act 3 Scene 3 (l. 47-50) Tartuffe confesses his lust for Elmire. “He did once mention it. But I confess/ I dream of quite a different happiness./ It’s elsewhere, Madam, that my eyes discern/ The promise of that bliss for which I yearn.” I don’t think that Tartuffe would object to marrying Mariane, for it would give him better status and more of Orgon’s possessions, but he truly does desire Elmire. He never denies that he would not marry Mariane, but only that he will keep the affair secret. Because Damis interrupts the conversation, we never hear an agreement that Tartuffe would promote the marriage of Mariane and Valere in exchange for the secret affair. Therefore, we aren’t certain that Tartuffe would be willing to give up the marriage to Mariane, which would preserve his position with Orgon and the ultimate inheritance of which he would be entitled. After all, Tartuffe is cunning, so we must give him some credit, but it is only in Elmire (his true competitor of wit) that lies his ultimate downfall.

While it is not perfect, it does have strong points to make, supports those points with specific evidence, and is relatively free of grammatical and mechanical errors. Be sure to put parenthetical citations at the end of the sentence before the final punctuation, and incorporate all quotations within your own sentences. This post would earn a four out of five.

Be sure to keep up with your assignments. You had two weeks to complete the Tartuffe section of the class, but many did not meet this deadline. Therefore, your grades might not be what you thought or desire at this point.

Finally, we had some political discussion in the forum. I encourage you to make parallels between the texts we read and current events and debates in our society. However, be sure that they are relevant, respectful, and informed. Part of a liberal arts education is to learn how to read texts — all texts we are presented with in our daily lives — and not take anything at face value, including media portrayals of public figures. It’s up to us to be as informed as possible, not just parrot media commentators. Remember: just because we hear someone from the “news” say something, does not make it true, appropriate, or at all informed.

Please post any questions you have below.

• Four blog entries: one on each of the texts. Your entry on Turner should outline your class project.
• At least eight forum posts, two on each of the texts.

For some of you, I have not even received your blog URL. Use this last week to be sure you’re caught up. Remember: the more you finish before you leave for England, the less you will have to do there.

Generally, you all are doing your reading, as evidenced by fairly strong performance on the quizzes. Keep up the good work.

On the forums, however, you really need to spend some more time. Please review my notes on the forums. Take that advice seriously. It seemed to me that there was much repetition in the discussions — you guys seemed fixated on the gods and their role in the epic when you should have been discussing more human concerns.

Make sure you are doing your assigned secondary reading. I mention this because not one forum post referred to the secondary criticism. Remember, to get the maximum points on the forum, you should not only cite specific evidence from the primary texts, but also appropriate support from secondary materials.

Some folks are taking quizzes but not posting to the forums. You will not pass this way. Please keep on top of your grades.

Finally, you have probably already seen that there are several sections to be completed in our unit on the Odyssey. I have yet to post a reading quiz for books 21-23, but it will appear in the next couple of days. Be sure you’re pacing yourself on this unit. It will take you some time.

As always, please email with questions and concerns, or you can leave comments below.