Term Essay: Analyzing American Literature HCC ENGL 2328 Spring 2018

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1 Term Essay: Analyzing American Literature HCC ENGL 2328 Spring 2018 DUE: Mn., April 30 Term Essay: 20% final grade (+2 Prtfli Grades fr Frmative Assignments) Length: 1,500 2,000+ Wrds, 5 7+ pages Layut/frmat: MLA paper frmat and dcumentatin; see Purdue OWL nline Majr Due Dates: Ø Mn., April 16: Prpsal (2P) Submissin Frmat: Uplad t TurnItIn.cm Term Paper Prpsal flder; prpsal shuld articulate yur intended paper tpic and/r be a detailed utline f yur paper. Prpsal language can be infrmal r even a rugh draft f the paper. Ø Sat, April 28 r earlier: Yur Rugh Draft Fr yur wn use, uplad yur rugh draft t TurnItIn.cm in Term Paper (20% Rugh & Final Drafts flder, dated April 28. This is fr yu t duble-check any citatin errrs; fr instance, if yu have any highlights n wrd-fr-wrd language frm a surce, make sure t qute and cite it. Further, if yur riginality percent is higher than 35%, yu need t cnsider either adding mre expsitin r eliminating sme qutatin. Ø Mn., April. 30: Final Draft (20%) Submissin Frmat: Uplad final draft t TurnItIn.cm in Term Paper Revisin 1 flder, dated April 30, AND submit in hardcpy either n April 30. Later hardcpy submissin r lack f hardcpy submissin will be a -5 deductin (in cnjunctin t late penalty). Paper must be in MLA frmat. If yu are unsure abut hw t frmat r dcument in MLA, I strngly suggest wrking with the HCC Writing Center. Paper must als meet the MINIMUM wrd requirement (1,500). Recmmended: Uplad near-final draft t TurnItin.cm in Term Paper (20% Rugh & Final Drafts flder, dated April 28 OR any pint prir t the final draft (flder dated Aug. 9). Review the Originality Reprt t ensure: yu haven t excessively quted (keep under 35% at mst) all utside materials are quted/cited prperly Late penalties fr Term Paper: May 2: (-5) May 7: (-10)

2 BE ADVISED: Yur paper will nt be accepted until: Ø it is submitted in bth hardcpy and t TurnItIn.cm ( n time papers can be submitted via TurnItIn.cm until 11:59 p.m., Mn. April 30). Ø it is in the prper MLA frmat (it must be typed and have the crrect heading and dcumentatin style) Ø yu include the WORD COUNT in yur MLA heading. Ø the essay is at least 1,500 wrds (wrd cunt des nt include the heading r yur Wrks Cited page). If yur paper des nt meet the Wrd Cunt requirement, it is nt accepted; meaning, I will nt grade it: 0. Ø it includes a crrectly frmatted Wrks Cited page with six surces (tw primary texts and fur utside texts yu identify and incrprate with crrect dcumentatin in yur paper). Ø it fulfills the research cmpnent f six surces included in the Wrks Cited page and cited within the text. Tw f these will be yur surce texts frm the Nrtn Anthlgy. Plagiarism: There is zer tlerance fr plagiarism in an English sphmre-level curse. If plagiarism is identified in yur respnse, the paper will be cunted as an autmatic zer. Plagiarism includes uncited wrd-fr-wrd use as well as ideas and structures gleaned frm undcumented, utside resurces. Dcument ALL surces referenced in yur respnse. Research Cmpnent: In academia, it is critical t bring in cncrete backing via authritative analysis/interpretatin t supprt yur claims and analysis. T this end, yu shuld bth qute yur surce texts AND bring in supprting cmmentary frm literary schlars/experts n the text, the authr, and/r the theme r mechanical element yu discuss. In additin t yur tw surce texts, yu are required t prvide fur credible utside surces f academic caliber. Yu will have an rientatin walking yu thrugh hw t best use the HCC academic/literary databases. Yu are strngly encuraged t seek all f yur surces thrugh the databases as these are knwn, credible, and reliable surces. Librarians and HCC tutrs are available t yu thrughut the week. Utilize these services. Other general items t remember: Stay in third persn (avid secnd persn yu r first me I ur we ). Yu are evaluating and analyzing; avid being judgmental (this isn t abut hw yu feel abut a piece, it s abut hw yu think it wrks and why). Refer t an authr by his r her whle name when yu first intrduce and then nly by last name. As in, dn t write, Ernest tackles gender steretypes by r Mr. Hemingway tackles (shuld be, Hemingway tackles gender steretypes by ). Remember t maintain an academic tne and cnsider yur audience (me) as yu write. The reasn why yu g thrugh this exercise is t illustrate the cmplex meaning and insight these writers have given t American culture/intellect (either thrugh their mechanical craft r the tpics they chse t address in their writing).

3 TERM PAPER PROMPT/TOPICS Chse any TWO texts cvered during the semester and discuss (cmpare/cntrast) ne f the fllwing as prtrayed/develped in the wrks: Mvements: Rmanticism Transcendentalism Naturalism Scialism Feminism (Gender Rles/Sexuality) Minimalism Imagism Mechanics: Character Develpment Petic Styling Use f Theme Cnveyance f Md Tne Develpment Setting (Reginalism) Plt Develpment Dialgue Symblism If yu find anther theme/literary element that yu wuld like t wrk with that is nt n this list, it must be apprved by me. These analytical targets may be very specific, such as the rle/symbl f blindness, the Civil War liberated slave, jazz, alchlism, infidelity, a clr, an animal, drug use, pastral reference, prmiscuity, flral imagery, vulgarity, etc. On text selectin: Ø chse texts yu feel cnfident in critically analyzing. Yes, the dreaded wrd, analysis, frm 1301 and 1302 is back. In rder t successfully dig int these texts and explre their meaning yu will have t analyze them: Analysis ften entails taking smething apart and then putting it back tgether by figuring ut hw the parts make up a chesive whle (McGraw-Hill Handbk). Lk at it like taking a puzzle apart t find that theme r element yu chse and discuss hw it wrks in the big picture/text, why the authr includes it, hw it is affected, what it means t readers then and nw. If yu are uncertain by what is meant by analysis, cnsider reviewing ntes/text frm 1301 r 1302 and/r visiting the HCC Writing Center and/r making an appintment with me. Ø Cnsider chsing texts that may answer r speak t ne anther. This allws yu nt nly t analyze the cntent itself, but what has changed ver time and what that change may tell us n a mre meaningful level.

4 Theme Examples: Nature: Ginsberg carries a strng theme f lss f nature due t mdernity. Mary Oliver, hwever decades later is able t tap int nature n a near transcendental level. Des this suggest the transcendental mvement is still alive? What des this mean fr humans and the natural wrld? Race Relatins: Washingtn advcates a pragmatic can-d attitude re: race and ecnmics. Ellisn directly questins the feasibility f this hpe and has a cynical utlk. What des this mean and pssibly freshadw fr equality in 2017? The Fathers: Alexie prtrays a mdern, lving, and strng family even in the midst f crisis in D Nt G Gentle. The father figure is ften humble and cmpassinate, as well as desperate. Cmpare this t Washingtn s narrative re: the absent father and hw that shapes the American experience; r father figures in Lndn s The Law f Life a striking rle f the father and his cntinual passing; r Hughes s pem Mulatt r Chpin s Désirée s Baby where fatherhd is cmpletely rejected. Gender Rles Female Sexuality: Whitman calls fr a free sexual life fr wmen in A Wman Waits fr Me. Chpin supprts in The Strm ; WCW s The Yung Husewife seeks it ut t be judged; Hemingway s Helen is sclded. The Art f Seductin: Tennessee Williams s Blanche DuBis and Flannery O Cnnr s Jy/Hulga Hpewell aim t seduce respective cunterparts. In each case, the character fails. What des this tell readers abut the rle f wmen and dminant sexual behavir? Other seductresses f the term include WCW s The Yung Husewife, Kingstn s incarnatins f her aunt, r the seductins in Díaz s Drwn. Hw Racial Shame Haunts Us: Kate Chpin depicts hw Armand Aubigny s past histry expldes his marriage and family because f Armand s racial shame. Meanwhile, a near century later, Maxine Hng Kingstn imagines the terrible circumstances f her aunt s life in China and hw her aunt s mistakes still bleed int Kingstn s life in the US, affecting her behavir and perspective. Bth authrs raise many questins; ne t answer: hw des the shame fuel reactin in each piece? Armand burns. Kingstn creates and imagines. What might that suggest fr us? Mechanics Examples: Petic Frm: While ften esteric and ambiguus, Dickinsn wrte in tight, cntrlled verse. In a few lines, she ffered insight int a multitude f aspects f human existence. At the same time, she was revlutinary in her petic styling. A century later, Ginsberg als challenged petic frm with his lng verse and intense subject matter. Why?

5 Narrative Perspective: Bth Perkins Gillman and Carver develp their primary first-persn characters thrugh a variety f tls such as dialgue, syntax, and behavir. While bth f these render a clear character, Carver s feels mre realistic and fully fleshed, mre f an individual. Why? Vernacular fr Purpse: Mark Twain is a celebrated authr fr his achievements in capturing lcal language (vernacular). This is clearly seen in The Jumping Frg Meanwhile, Anzaldúa incrprates nt nly vernacular but ther languages int her prse t demnstrate the range f linguistic nuances regin t regin. Or Díaz s inclusin f lcal vernacular becmes a near character, especially a vice, in his text. Hw d speech patterns r general vernacular shape literary cmpsitins? Lasting Images: William Carls Williams wrte petry t ignite the senses. The Red Wheelbarrw succeeds because it s built n minimalist, cncrete language. Meanwhile, anther lasting image can be fund in Hurstn s Hw it Feels t be Clred Me whether that be the bags representing human lives r hw jazz lks. Bth authrs achieve creating a lasting image in ur minds. Hw d they d this? Quick Ntes n Structure: Yu will mst likely have three majr mvements in yur paper, but dn t feel this is the nly way t write it. Yur paper shuld be rganized, yet als rganic. Structuring depends n yur thesis/claim. Ø Yu shuld include a sectin (typically near yur intrductin) that specifically defines yur theme r mechanic element independent f the texts yu chse. This is als an area wherein yu shuld find backing t help bjectively characterize the theme r element. Ø The bulk f yur paper will be dedicated t the analysis and cmparisn/cntrast f the tw texts. This is where yu will begin t summarize the text and pull ut key language r mments that highlight and supprt the theme/element. Then, yu will need t explain hw this relates t the authr s wrk in general and t the ther authr yu ve paired it with. Yu may rganize this sectin by summary first, then break dwn, then cmpare/cntrast. Ultimately, it will depend n what and hw yu discuss the wrks. In this sectin, yu will als bring in utside surces t cmment n yur discveries that supprt yur analysis/explanatins. Ø The take-away/pulling it altgether. In this sectin (which builds t the cnclusin r is the cnclusin itself), yu might explre what this means in a mre human/glbal cntext e.g. take the literature ut f the bx. Think abut why the authrs wrte the way they did what was it they wanted t cmmunicate t us What d yu ultimately discver in this mment f setting each text side by side and deeply analyzing them? Is there a lessn t be learned? In this sectin, yu might als bring in utside vices that stress the imprtance f the authr s wrk, the theme, r the element.