Write a 3-6 page essay in which you analyze and then ...



Essay Assignment One: Daru and Meursault

Due: Monday, September 15, 2008

Write a 3-6 page essay in which you analyze and then compare or contrast the characters of Meursault and Daru.

The secondary articles that I will give to you, by Girard and by Scherr, present opposite opinions of Meursault’s intelligence. You may, therefore, want to include a discussion of this subject, in which you argue that Meursault is either intelligent or unintelligent, and in which you present your own evidence and engage in a dialogue with these two scholars. You might also compare or contrast Meursault’s intelligence with Daru’s. But this suggestion is only a suggestion; it is not a requirement.

Make sure to have a clear thesis statement which pithily argues the points you want to make about each of the characters individually and about how they are similar or different. Also make efficient use of topic sentences and transitional words or phrases for each paragraph. Include plenty of specific examples from the text to support your argument. Use proper MLA style for the format of the essay (including a title), for in-text citations—including any summaries, paraphrases, or direct quotations—and for the Works Cited page, which does not count toward the 3-page minimum.

You may use only the following sources. But you must use at least one secondary source either from number two or from number three below:

1. The texts—either in print or from a file on my Poly page—of “The Guest” and of The Stranger

2. The secondary sources I provide you with, to be posted on my Poly page

3. Any or all of the three secondary sources that you gathered for your summer reading assignment. If you use these, you must resubmit them with your essay, so that I can check for page numbers and for accuracy

4. Class notes and other texts, such as “The Myth of Sisyphus” or those by Aristotle or Nietzsche, that I have distributed or discussed in class

You may not use:

1. Anything from any website other than mine

2. Any article or book not specified above

3. Anything you do not cite specifically

If you use the internet in any unauthorized way without citing it, you will fail. If you plagiarize, you will fail. If you use a source that is not authorized, especially a website, you may be severely penalized, but, as long as you cite the source, that penalty will be relatively minor compared with the alternative, which is a grade of zero. So if you decide that you cannot adhere to the guidelines, at least do yourself the favor of citing all your sources: you may not be swimming, but at least you will not be sinking.

Any questions? Please ask me.

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