CC MATHEMATICSMATHEMATICAL EXPLORATIONSSYLLABUS

  Third Writing Assignment: Arcadia  

For your third essay, you should write a short paper dealing with the play Arcadia. You should address one of the following three topics. Your essay should again be 1000-1500 words. This assignment is to be done individually. You may discuss the ideas of your paper with others, but the essay itself should incorporate your own ideas in your own words. No other sources are necessary for this assignment, but if you do use ideas from other works, you should cite them appropriately. This essay was due by 11 AM  on Tuesday, September 27.

1. Discuss how Stoppard uses both the mathematical idea of iteration and the second law of thermodynamics in the play.  How does their use contribute to what you see as his primary purposes in Arcadia?  
   
2. Choose a character from the play whose interests are primarily scientific or mathematical, and a character whose interests are primarily literary or artistic. Discuss the ways of knowing of these characters. How are they different, and how are they similar?
   
3. Compare and contrast the classical or rationalist elements with the romantic elements of Arcadia. How do the literary references in the play, the scientific discussions and of course the Garden reflect the tension between romanticism and rationalism? What characteristics do the characters in the play attribute to romanticism and classicism?