CIE100: Common Intellectual Experience - Islamic Mystic Poetry Writing Prompt (10 Points)

Assignment Goals

The goals of this assignment are:

1. To reflect upon the course texts in preparation for thoughtful discussion
2. To organize thoughts into a concise and cohesive response to a targeted question
3. To consider multiple viewpoints about ideas

The Assignment

In this writing prompt, you will consider the questions below and respond in marginalia form, equivalent in length to a 1-2 paragraph response. Choose two short passages from the reading and write rich marginal annotations for each: an observation, a question, and a connection, quoting the passage you are annotating. Then distill your reading into one aphorism of your own, and add one counterargument note, supported by a quote, against your own aphorism. Submit your annotations and aphorism through Canvas before the start of class.

UDL choice: this genre is the default for this reading, but you may swap in any of the five response genres (analytic, letter, dialogue, marginalia+aphorism, or the Four A’s) as long as the quote and counterargument requirements are met.

Struggling with the reading itself? See the guide: How to Read Hard Texts in CIE.

Writing Prompt

1. The mystic poets describe longing for the divine in the language of human love: separation, intoxication, the beloved. Choose one poem from the course booklet and discuss how the poet uses this imagery. What, precisely, is being longed for, and why might ordinary language be inadequate to express it?

2. Rumi is among the best-selling poets in the United States, yet he is often quoted online with no reference to Islam at all. Find one popular Rumi quotation circulating on social media and compare it with the poems in our course booklet. What is gained, and what is lost, when a text is lifted out of its tradition? Who has the standing to decide?

Submission

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