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Write an argumentative essay that answers one of the questions below.
- You
can develop and extend an idea of your own or one that's been explored
in a topic sentence or in class -- just check with me before beginning
draft.
- Trace a "type" of character through several
works and argue why this "type" is prevalent in American literature.
Suggestions? The Romantic; The existentialist; The militant; The
self-made man; The worker; The artist; The doctor, etc. Your essay
should first define this type, and then explain it's attraction/s.
These attractions should be grounded in the historical and cultural
attitudes of America.
- What is the role of
violence in American literature? What does it "say" about American
culture? Write an essay that argues at least two writers use violence
to suggest _____ about America.
- Connect a writer
from the nineteenth century (Whitman, Dickinson, Emerson come to mind)
with a specific writer from the twentieth century. Your thesis might
read "Both ____ and ____ believed _____. This is illustrated by ____,
_____, and ____.
- From the "Life in the Iron Mills"
on through much of the literature we've read this semester, slavery,
and more generally, as W. E. B. Du Bois suggests, "the problem of the
color line" can be discerned. Write an essay, discussing at least two
works, that argues that race is used to ________.
- Follow the depiction of "the Other"
(choose one "Other") in several works we've read this semester with the
goal of answering this question: what does this depiction illustrate
about American ______?
- From the mills in "Life in an Iron Mills" and the steamboats in Huck Finn, to the dynamo in Adam's Education and the wastelands of Modern literature, argue that writers viewed technology as ____.
- Trace
an image or symbolic pattern through a work and argue how this pattern
illustrates a central theme of the text. Your thesis here could read
something like "The theme of ____ is seen throughout ____. This is
shown by ____, _____, and _____."
- Much of Modern
literature seems linked to WWI: why? Write an essay which uses several
works we've read this semester to argue that WWI was a formative event
in the development of American literary Modernism.
- Trace
a connection between an artistic movement and a different field -- for
instance, using several of the works we've read, connect American
literary Modernism with the painting and sculpture associated with the
movement.
- Hemingway famously wrote that all American literature can be traced back to The Adventures Huckleberry Finn. Prove it by connecting specific elements of Huck Finn to other American works we've studied.
- The
middle class takes a beating in much of the literature we've read: why?
Why do American authors criticize its values and culture? After
defining this mythic beast (the American middle class) write an essay
which uses two of the works we've read to answer this why.
- Organized
religion also takes a beating in the literature we've read: why? Why
does religion, historically a bedrock of American culture, face such
criticism in American literature? Choices here: categorize and trace
this feature through works from both the 19th and 20th centuries or
explain why a particular writer or group of writers criticized
religion.
- And finally, capitalism, or more broadly,
organized business, takes a beating in many of the works we've read
this semester. Why? Why do American literary figures look askance at
capitalism? Focus on at least two works and argue that they believe
capitalism is a problem because of ______.
- And a
second reminder: you can develop and extend an idea of your own or one
that's been explored in a topic sentence or in class -- just check with
me before beginning draft.
Length minimum 1250 words -- though most essays are longer.
The basics need to be covered: title, introduction, thesis statement with divisions, body paragraphs and a conclusion. You
must include at least two secondary sources to support your idea (if
secondary sources are not included, the highest grade you earn is a "D"
-- see below for more on research). And of course you'll use
MLA Works Cited documentation style. Do I have to even mention that it
needs to be typed and double spaced and follow MLA format? I didn't
think so.
See What to Hand in With Final Draft of Research Essay for, well, what to hand with your final draft.
You cannot hand in your work unless it is discussed in a conference
with me at least one day before the final draft is due. Check my office
door for appointment times: if none of the available times work for
you, check with me to make other arrangements.
For
additional feedback, I suggest making an appointment in the Writing
Center (R124) -- and remember that both "A" and "C" level writers can
benefit from working closely with another person during the revision
process.
In
addition to torture, do you know why research papers are assigned? 1)
Torture (oops, said that already); 2) so you can more deeply understand
the topic at hand. If the research is done correctly, as in reading
several sources to more fully understand your argument, you end up
teaching yourself about the subject. Thus, if you're writing about the
role of WWI in Modernist aesthetics, you'll learn much more than we
cover in class both about Modernism and about WWI; and 3) connected to
this idea of learning more deeply is information literacy -- the
ability to find the information you need from a variety of media.
With
this in mind remember to choose the research you decide to incorporate
into your work carefully. Be prepared to read several
essays/chapters/excerpts from books or articles from journals before
you find material that will help your essay. Sorry to emphasis the
negative, but avoid just "sticking in" a source because it's required:
I expect you to use a source to support an idea you're making, not
merely because it's required.
You are expected to
understand and avoid plagiarism. Be SURE to review the definition of
plagiarism and use MLA documentation. See citing sources link for more info on this.
The "Secondary Source" page offers suggestions and a few links to sources.
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General
encyclopedia (Britannica, etc.) articles, as well as "Google" and other
open web sources are usually not considered scholarly and should not be
used (there goes Sparknotes). Instead, use books or a source from one
of the college's databases, accessed by clicking on Library Links on
the Course site to the right. Check with me before using any internet
source that is not from our databases.
If you know of a source from the open web that you'd like to incorporate into your essay, check with me before using it. |
To help you complete the best work, you'll note that the writing is due
in parts and you'll get feedback before the essay is graded.
I've
also included suggestions on this site (read the definitions of
divisions, thesis statements, division statements, context, and body
paragraph in the glossary) covering
planning, revision, adding sources, and proofreading that should help
you write an essay that clearly presents your thinking.
See syllabus.
To receive a passing grade, your essay should meet the following criteria:
Organization :
Have a clear thesis statement which suggests how a particular question
is valid. You must also include a clear division statement which is
then developed in separate paragraphs with clear topic sentences.
Content :
Paragraphs that use specific quotes and examples from the story to
prove your point -- AND a full and complete discussion on why and how
that particular quote or word proves your point. REMEMBER: examples do
not speak for themselves -- the core of a good literary essay is in
your commentary and explanations of the examples.
Proofreading :
Sentences that are clear and no more than 5 major errors (these errors
include sentence fragments, run-on sentences, verb-tense error,
subject-verb agreement error, unclear phrasing/tangled wording,
documentation, formatting, and spelling/wrong word error).
© 2008 David Bordelon
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