SLE Winter Quarter Final

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

A brave knight accepts a mysterious challenger’s game: he may strike the challenger once now, but must receive the same blow in a year. On his journey to keep the promise, he faces temptations and tests of honesty, learning that true honor requires courage, integrity, and admitting one’s imperfections.

Enrigue, You Dreamed of Empires

In Tenochtitlan, Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés arrive and meet the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II. Over a tense night filled with hallucinations, cultural misunderstandings, and political maneuvering, both sides attempt to read each other’s intentions. The novel explores the fragile moment before conquest, highlighting miscommunication, power, and the clash between civilizations.

Cortés, Letters from Mexico, Second Letter 

A Spanish conquistador describes his expedition in Mexico to the Spanish king, explaining his encounters with powerful Indigenous societies, the wealth and organization of their cities, and his march toward the Aztec capital. The letter portrays the land and people as impressive but also frames the conquest as justified and beneficial for Spain and Christianity.

Montaigne, "Of Cannibals"

A French writer describes Indigenous peoples of the Americas and argues that Europeans wrongly call them “barbaric.” He claims their society is often more natural, honest, and virtuous than European civilization, suggesting that what people call “savagery” is mostly based on cultural bias.

Lorde, "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House"

The essay argues that systems of oppression cannot be dismantled using the same structures, ideas, and power dynamics that created them. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing differences—especially race, gender, and sexuality—and using those differences as sources of strength to challenge inequality.

Machiavelli's The Prince 

A political guide explaining how rulers gain, maintain, and strengthen power. It argues that leaders must sometimes act immorally—using deception, fear, or force—if necessary to keep control and protect the state.

Machiavelli, Discourses

A political analysis that argues republics are stronger and more stable than monarchies. It uses examples from ancient Rome to show that citizen participation, laws, and conflict between social groups can help preserve freedom and strengthen a state.

Renaissance poetry selections

Poems from this period often focus on love, beauty, nature, and the passage of time, while also reflecting humanist ideas that emphasize human potential, emotion, and classical influences from ancient Greece and Rome.

Shakespeare, The Tempest 

A shipwrecked magician uses magic on a remote island to manipulate events, seeking revenge, testing loyalty, and ultimately granting forgiveness. The play explores power, colonization, freedom, and reconciliation.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries of the Incas 

A mestizo writer recounts the history, culture, and society of the Inca Empire, combining Indigenous oral traditions with Spanish perspectives. The work emphasizes Inca political organization, religion, and customs, highlighting the richness of their civilization before and during Spanish conquest.

Cervantes, Don Quixote

A man obsessed with chivalric romances imagines himself a knight and sets out on adventures with his loyal squire. The story satirizes idealism versus reality, exploring honor, folly, and the blurred line between imagination and the real world.

Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy

A philosopher seeks certain knowledge by doubting all beliefs that can be questioned. He concludes that the self exists (“I think, therefore I am”), proves God’s existence, and establishes a foundation for distinguishing truth from error.

Locke, Second Treatise on Government 

The work argues that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Governments exist to protect these rights, and if they fail, citizens have the right to alter or overthrow them.

Jefferson, excerpt from Notes on the State of Virginia 

An American statesman describes Virginia’s geography, economy, and society, including observations on race, slavery, and governance. The work reflects Enlightenment thinking while revealing complex and often contradictory views on liberty and inequality.

Kant, "What is Enlightenment?"

is the ability to think for oneself and question authority. Argues that individuals must use reason publicly and courageously to free themselves from ignorance imposed by tradition, institutions, or fear.

Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality

Examines how social and political institutions create inequality. He contrasts the natural equality and freedom of humans in the “state of nature” with the corruption, dependency, and moral decline that arise in organized society.

Shelley, Frankenstein

A scientist creates life from dead matter, producing a sentient creature. The story explores themes of ambition, responsibility, isolation, and the consequences of defying nature, highlighting both human and monstrous qualities.

Schleiermacher, "On the Essence of Religion"

Argues that religion is not about doctrine or moral law but about a deep, intuitive feeling of dependence on the infinite. True religion arises from personal experience and inner life, not abstract reasoning or external authority.

Wordsworth, "Preface to Lyrical Ballads"

Argues poetry should use common language and depict ordinary life and emotions. He emphasizes imagination, nature, and the poet’s role in expressing genuine human experience rather than adhering to rigid classical rules.

Wordsworth, selected poems

Poems that celebrate nature, memory, and everyday life, exploring human emotions and the mind’s connection to the natural world. They reflect Romantic ideals of simplicity, imagination, and the spiritual value of ordinary experiences.

Blake, poetry selections

poems explore innocence and experience, imagination, and social critique, often blending visionary imagery with moral and spiritual themes. His work contrasts purity and corruption, questioning authority, religion, and societal norms

Troubadours poems

poems celebrate courtly love, chivalry, and personal emotion, often written in lyric form for performance. They emphasize devotion, admiration of noble ladies, and the poet’s refined expression of longing, honor, and social ideals.