CUR 140 : "Interpretation Module #4"
Selected Passages From The Prophets

 

There are four passages to choose from in this assignment. They are: Isa 17:1-6; Amos 7:1-9; Jer 31:31-34; Ez 37:1-14. Read all of them, and choose one to explore in detail. For the passage that you choose, write a brief (approx. 2 pp.) essay that develops one theme or interpretive issue (see "post-text" below). Your essay should show that you have completed questions similar to the following worksheet. However, you will only submit your short essay and not the worksheet.

Sample worksheet of helpful questions (not to be submitted)

A. Pre-Text: do you know anything about the characters or events described in the story before you've begun looking at it closely? How might this pre-knowledge shape your expectations?


B. Text

  1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: from Harris, class notes, or the HCSB, what was the situation when the text was written? What historical situation is it describing? How do these two historical situations differ, and how might the difference shape the text? What do we know about the author and the audience? How might this information shape the text?
  2. LITERARY CONTEXT: what has happened in the chapters preceding this passage? What happens in the chapters following the passage? Given that context, would you describe the passage as part of the main narrative thread, or as an interruption of some sort? Why?
  3. GET A SENSE OF LITERARY ELEMENTS OF THE TEXT: Is the text a narrative or an oracle? What difference does this make? Who is being addressed, and what is the relationship of the prophet to the audience? What symbols or metaphors does the prophet use and what do they represent?
  4. GET A SENSE OF HOW THE TEXT MOVES: Outline the action or the plot in the passage. As you develop your outline, ask if there are there any repetitions or breaks (odd shifts in action, focus, etc.) in the text? Ask if the oracle has an "introduction", a "body," and a "conclusion"? Do you see significant or noticeable turning points?
  5. ASK QUESTIONS: What do you think is the main point of the text? How does this point fit into its literary context? Are there things that the text leave unexplained? Are there terms or references that you do not undersatnd? Is there any other information that you as a reader feel that you still need? If so, can you find answers from the literary or historical context? If not, why do you think this is left out of the text.

C. Post-text: write a brief (approx. 2 pp.) essay that develops one theme or interpretative issue. You essay should have a clear, well-focused thesis statement and supporting evidence drawn primarily from the text itself. Your essay must be typed and should show that you have completed questions similar to the worksheet given above. However, you will only submit your short essay and not the worksheet.