This essay (4-5 full pages) will be worth up to 100 points; papers shorter than three full pages will not be accepted; if you are trying for a grade higher than a "C" (and you all are) it must be at least four full pages. This paper does not require research, and, in fact, I am mainly wanting to see your original thinking and ability to draw reasoned, logical conclusions (not opinions) here.

Be sure you have read and understand the Lectures and the general information on the Writing Assignments page. Also read the stuff in the sidebar (the pinkish box to the right).

Remember to review
the information on how to write about literature

You must have examples/evidence in the form of direct quotations followed by correct parenthetical citations--this is not optional

Papers should be on topic, focused, edited, proofread

Any paper not in standard MLA-8/9 format will not be graded; please review the files and videos that explain how to set up your papers and Works Cited pages.

Late papers will be accepted up to a week after the due date, but they will be penalized 10%

If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail

Since you absolutely must read closely, quote relevant (often very brief) sections of the story or poems, and document those quotations parenthetically, you will need to know how to cite correctly. Instructions on citing fiction can be found here: How to Cite Fiction.

NOTE ABOUT STYLE: Do not write these using inflated language that people often confuse as "academic." Imagine you are writing for normal, educated people, so use clear, direct language with lots of detailed examples. Yes, things like grammar and such do count, and you will avoid first person ("I/me") and slang, but do not write a stuffy paper. Look at the student samples.

options?

I love choices. Sure, they can make life hard (pizza or sushi?), but in a world where you really feel like having sushi, think how sad you'd feel if there was only pizza. So we are going to have two different kinds of topics this time, but both are analytical papers. Both require you to explore a very specific topic (these are not plot summaries); be sure you understand what you are focusing on for the work you choose. For example, if you are as to explore how setting is used in a story, don't give an author biography or a history of the story; focus your paper on setting.

To POSSIBLY help a little, I will note which topics I think are EASIER or HARDER (that does not mean better or worse); keep in mind, this is just my impression; we all have different tastes as well as strengths/weaknesses. And picking a harder topic will NOT earn you more points, so.... Anyway, they will be there if you are interested. And, yes, if you did not read all of the works, you are going to have much less choice here, so Read Everything.

topic type #1: the straight literary analysis (on just one work)

This is definitely the more conventional option. It corresponds to the portion of Lecture 3 that looks at elements of fiction. You may have directly analyzed a story in an English class before, and you have already seen a couple of stories analyzed in the lectures in our class. Your discussion of "All About Suicide" OR "In a Grove" asked you to look closely at (analyze) one of the stories. That's what you'll be doing here if you choose this option.

choose one of these three topics if you are opting for the Literary Analysis:

  1. (EASIER) - Even though there is a lot of foreshadowing in William Faulkner's "Rose for Emily," how does he manage to keep the reader in suspense throughout the story, maybe even surprised at the ending? And how are the mis-directions in the story actually logical, not just tricky gimmicks used to surprise the reader

      CLUES:

    • consider whose point of view the story is being told from (it is an unusual point of view); is it a reliable narrator? why or why not? and what is this narrative like in the real world?
    • thinking about that narrator again, how does it affect the plot (order of events) in the story, and is it done logically/reasonably? be sure to include some examples of plot manipulation.

  2. (HARDER) - Gaberiel Garcia-Marquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is clearly not written for children, and yet he sub-titles the story "A Tale for Children"; Why? Of course there are some plot elements that you might find more often in a children's story than a story written for adults, but the language, the situation, the density of the style--these are all clearly written at an adult level.

      HINTS:

    • consider that this story is, on one level, a religious satire (that is, it mocks some people's inability to really think about, challenge, and discern their religious beliefs; they may just follow what they find convenient or what is told them rather than exploring some of the deeper foundations of their religions); after all, we do have references to an angel and a priest here
    • you may wish to look up "Magical Realism" (the style the story is written in); consider the nature of Magical Realism and how elements of this literary movement permeate this story


  3. (EASIER) - Kate Chopin's "The Storm" may have shocked readers (if it had been published) in the late 19th century, but it expresses a theme carried over in several of Chopin's works. Your task is partly to state the theme in a complete sentence (It could be somewhere in the first paragraph, or it could be in the concluding paragraph. Had the story been set in Las Vegas in the 21st century it likely would not have raised an eyebrow. So setting (where a story takes place and when the story takes place) can be significant in understanding the story. Setting (time and place) and situation (the storm) are used in several ways in this short story: allowing certain actions to occur; CAUSING certain actions to occur; paralleling the actions in the story. The storm is also clearly a symbol in the story. Explain how the storm functions in all of these ways in the story and also helps to support the message or theme of the story.

      IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:

    • do not try to make the story say or mean what YOU want it to mean; it means what the author has written; this is Chopin's view of the world (or at least one part of life); the ending IS the ending whether you like it or not
    • think about whether or not storms PLAN their actions
    • consider that the "somber" and "insidious" references at the beginning may have more to do with Calixta's mood at the beginning of the story and not the second half of the story
    • (yes, that's plenty to consider :)

    NOTE ABOUT THE STORY TOPICS (well, two notes): 1)they are not necessarily easier to write about then the poems, really; 2) your quoted examples will typically be longer than those for the poetry comparisons, so you will often quote entire lines, maybe more. But sometimes you will look at small bits (such as the foreshadowning of the gray hair in Faulkner's story).


topic type #2: the comparative analysis (which compares/contrasts two or more works)

OK, I have already given you quite a lot to think about, but some of you may opt for this style of paper where you usually set up the paper with

Some comparative analysis goes back and forth looking point-by-point between the two (or more) works; These topics works lend themselves to block format, where you explore one completely and then follow with a similar sort of explanation of the other. It also makes most logical sense to discuss them in the order they appear in the questions.

Here are the topic choices; again, I've marked them EASIER or HARDER based solely on my impressions.

choose ONE of these three topics if you are opting for the Comparative Analysis (and you must explore BOTH poems listed for that topic):

  1. (MEDIUM) - "To Lucasta Going to the Wars" and "Dulce et Decorum Est"--Look up the meaning of the title of Owen's poem and consider how it applies to Lovelace's poem; what do the two poems suggest about changing attitudes towards war over time? Why? Pay particular attention to the kinds of language used in each.

    NOTE: for this one you may need to look up a little background on the times they are writing about and, particularly, the nature of World War 1 (called "the war to end all wars"; of course, it didn't)

  2. (EASY) - "To an Athlete Dying Young" and "Ex-Basketball Player"--even though Flick Webb is still alive, the young athlete in Houseman's poem seems better off. Why?

    Compare this to other real-world examples if you can (note: those examples need not be athletes, though they could be), but keep the primary focus on the poems .

  3. (HARDER) - "Living in Sin" and "Balances"--both show changing attitudes/situations; how can Giovanni's poem be seen as a continuation of Rich's poem? Which character is closer to acting on her changed impressions? Why?

    Consider just how long the woman in "Living in Sin" has been living at her boyfriend's apartment. How does this affect the idea(s) of the poem?

  4. (EASY) - "Ulysses" and "Let Me Die a Youngman's Death"--both poems seem to be about dying, but are they really? Be sure to look up Ulysses/Odysseus to see what his life was like before he returned to Ithaca; also, consider the ages the speaker of McGough's poem includes and each type of death he describes.

    SPECIAL NOTE WITH THIS PAIR OF POEMS: I did mark this as EASY, but that assumes you know something about the background of Ulysses (aka Odysseus); if you don't, you might want to look him up.

NOTE FOR ALL OF THE POETRY TOPICS: Be sure you are not quoting huge chunks of the poems. Read closely at what various images, phrases, even words suggest/imply.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Regardless of which topic you choose, be firm with your claims/statements. There should be no "I THINK" or "I FEEL" or "I BELIEVE" or "IN MY OPINION" statements in your writing. State something, and then back it up with examples.

REMEMBER, late papers are penalized 10%, and any paper more than a week late will earn a zero; since this class moves very quickly, I recommend getting things done early whenever possible.

AND THERE ARE SAMPLE STUDENT PAPERS (both sorts) in the Files section on Canvas