English 112.01 Final Essay and Presentation

Essay

Requirements: 5-7 pages double spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman, 1 inch margins

From now until the end of the semester, all ofyou will have a chance to supplement my

inevitably limited syllabus by adding your own choice of an exemplary poem, short story,

novel, song, or film (we will use the blanket term “text”). If you haven’t yet noticed, every

text we have read so far (and will continue to read) connects in some way to those around     it, be it through theme or topic, form, style, language or allusion. Keep in mind that our class has emphasized texts that deal with cross-cultural contact—especially in terms of

relationships structured by colonialism—as well as those that deal with political and social crises. So, your assignment is to compose an essay that explains why your chosen text belongs on our syllabus by connecting it to at least two  other works we’ve read.

Your reasoning should be clearly articulated in a thesis statement at the beginning ofyour paper.

One way to prepare for this assignment would be to use Google and library databases to

search for commonly studied works in classes similar to ours; however, another would be

to mine your own memories and experiences for some creative work that—for some reason or another—has found a home inside you. The possibilities are practically limitless. You

may choose works from antiquity to the present, in English or in translation, by someone well-known or yet to be discovered—including your own creations. The two works from

the syllabus must be from different authors. Did a class reading bring to mind some other    work, or perhaps make you question how you previously thought about or understood that text? This could be a great place to start.

Primarily, I am looking for you to discuss aspects of form/style/theme (the big ideas),

focusing on how authors handle their subject matter—though your essays will inevitably discuss content at some point. Each connection may discuss differences as well as

similarities between texts, but keep in mind this is not meant to be a simple

compare/contrast essay. Rather, you will be using 2 readings from the syllabus, along     with 2 peer-reviewed journal articles as a conceptual framework for understanding the    text you’ve chosen and making an argument as to why you have situated your chosen text with these other works. Some aspects to consider include the following: genre, voice;

structure; artistic agenda (why the author chooses to write in the way they do); characters; relationship of author and narrator; types of language present; representations of various   aspects of colonial or socio-cultural relationships. In other words, you will be close reading all three primary texts to support your argument. The 2 peer-reviewed articles should help frame your lens for reading or support your claim in some other way.

The length of this essay should be 5-7 pages (not including Works Cited page)—this means that your essay needs to beat least five FULL pages long. Remember that you must CITE

ALL SOURCES (using MLA guidelines), even the ones you merely consult. Be sure to back up all your points with direct textual evidence (quotes) from your chosen reading as well as

the course readings and secondary sources (journal articles). I expect the same level of effort demonstrated in your weekly writing assignments, reflections, and midterm analysis, if not higher, so bear that in mind.