English 102: Writing About Literature



Essay ThreeInstructions and RequirementsWriting Purpose: For this essay assignment, students will write a 4-6 page essay of synthesizing two works of literature in two different genres to form an original argument related to conformity and rebellion related to religious freedom.Writing Process: Select one of two poems (“Latin Women Pray” or “On Being Brought from Africa to America” to pair with Langston Hughes’ essay “Salvation.” Begin by re-reading the works and asking yourself questions related to conformity, rebellion, and religious freedom. Develop your own set of questions to respond to and use them to develop a provable thesis statement related to themes of conformity and rebellion.*Note: This is a complex issue requiring and complex questions. A strong, college-level thesis will also be complex and may strive to answer several questions at once. A strong, college-level essay also recognizes that there is not just one right and one wrong answer to a question. Writing is a process of inquiry and exploration, and there are many possible perspectives that can come from a question.Remember that the majority of the essay should be your analysis (not summary) and that you must use specific quoted examples from the literature to support your thesis. Consider the literary elements of the texts (ie. theme, characterization, dialogue, setting, tone, dramatic irony, description, etc.) and how the writer uses these elements to make a statement about conformity and rebellion.Writing Requirements: Students must use two primary sources and two secondary sources found independently for this assignment.Primary Source: “Salvation” by LangstonAdditional Primary Sources (choose one): “Latin Women Pray” by Judith Ortiz Cofer“On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis WheatleySecondary Sources: Two scholarly and/or popular sources found by studentYou have several options for your secondary sources:Literary criticism of selected worksScholarly articles from sociology databasesCurrent popular sources (news, magazines, websites, blogs); please assess all popular sources using the CRAAP test outlined on course website.Direct quotations from your selected readings are required to support your thesis throughout the essay. Remember you should not simply summarize the literature, but quote and explain examples to help illustrate the point you are striving to make. Quotes from secondary sources should be used to further your argument.Formatting Requirements: Essays will be graded according to the Essay Grading Rubric on course website.All quotations must be properly cited using MLA parenthetical formatting and you must include a works cited list at the end of your essay containing the play and the researched sources you have found. See your copy of A Writer’s Reference for examples.Your essay must be typed and double spaced in 12pt font with 1” margins on all sides. A title is required - this should be YOUR title, not the title of the literature you are analyzing or the title of the essay assignment. Be creative and choose something appropriate to your argument. Center your title before the first line of the essay. Do not skip extra lines before or after your title. Please include your last name and page number in the top header of each page, right aligned. First page should include the following MLA standard heading, single spaced, left aligned:Your NameProf. Katherine DelhagenEnglish 102Day Month YearA sample of MLA first page formatting can be found at the Purdue OWL > Research and Citation > MLA Style > MLA Formatting and Style Guide ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download