English 201: Experiencing Literature De Niro’s Game

English 201: Experiencing Literature

De Niro’s Game

Short Answer Questions (10 points each, Total 30 points)

Directions: Please answer these questions in at least five sentences.

1. What was the significance of the Russian Roulette? Please list three examples that are

found in the book.

2. In a paragraph please describe the features of the Lebanese civil war. How is the

Lebanese Civil War similar and different from the Partition of India? Please list at least

three similarities or differences between the two events.

3. What does the gun symbolize in the book? Describe at least three ways in which the gun

is important to the story.

Essay Questions (Total 70 Points)

Directions: Select one of the five essay questions. Please make sure that it follows proper five

paragraph essay format, MLA 8 th Edition, Times New Roman, and double-spaced.

1. Fate: Bassam says, “Death does not come to you when you face it; death is full of

treachery, a coward who only notices the feeble and strikes the blind.” Joseph says, “No

one dies before his time comes.” How does fate operate in the story? Why does Bassam

refuse to go into the bomb shelter? Why do the young men play “De Niro’s game” of

Russian roulette?

2. War: In a conversation with Bassam, Jacob notes, “It’s just business, he said again, no

religion, no war; this is only business. Muslim, Christian – it does not matter.” (109)

Explain how his quote relates to the theme of war and violence in the novel? What other

books have we read in class that discussed similar themes? List the different ways in

which war and violence are described in the novel. Please give at least 3 examples to

elaborate your answers.

3. Masculinity: War is the ideal setting for many men to prove their manhood and make

decisions they would not make otherwise. In your response, explain the choices that both

Bassam and George had to face. Do you think their decisions throughout the novel were

justified? Why or why not?

4. Gender Politics: Discuss in detail how women are represented in the novel. Please use the

example of at least two female characters.

5. Morality: Between Bassam and George, who do you think was a morally upright person?

By using examples from the book, discuss the theme of morality in relation to these two

characters.