Essay 3 Assignment Sheet

Essay 3 Assignment Sheet

Write a literary analysis about a work (or comparing two works) we have covered in class.  The literary analysis essay MUST have an academic, argumentative thesis sentence.  The thesis should state a claim and reasons why (evidence).

Requirements:

• THREE COMPLETE PAGES
• TWO reputable, scholarly, literary criticism, secondary sources.
• MLA in text citations and Works Cited page (primary and secondary sources)
• Avoid plot summary, statements of opinion, or general reporting of facts.
• Consider applying literary terms or examining themes, writing styles, or time periods.

Refer to:

• the Literary Analysis PowerPoint (and links within)
• the online textbook Creating Literary Analysis, section 1.6-1.10
• Chapter 42: Writing About Literature in Literature an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Writing

Students may choose to write about one or more of the following works.

Things to remember:

• Titles of short works go in quotation marks: story, poem, article titles.
• Titles of long works go in italics: play, book, journal, database titles.
• To cite a poem: “If you quote more than one line,/Put a slash to show where/Line breaks occur” (3-6). Cite the LINE NUMBER(s).
• To cite a prose play (GM), cite page numbers.
• To cite a poetic play (MSND) cite Act.Scene.line: (I.2.126).

Possible Topics (please choose ONE of the following):

1. Write a literary analysis where you compare the strategies used in “Coy Mistress” and “The Flea.” Both poems have the same subject and situation.  What choices did the authors make to develop differing tones or levels of argumentation? Discuss the poems’ tone, word choice, length, and reasoning. Make an argument about which speaker would be more likely successful in his proposition.
2. Write a literary analysis in which you prove whether “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” can be considered a modernist work?  Describe Eliot’s concept of the “objective correlative.”  Apply this concept to the poem, and describe how it fits into the modernist philosophy of writing.  Consider the poem’s themes, style, and imagery.
3. Write a literary analysis that explicates the imagery in the short poem, “Harlem.”  How does the situation impact the way the poem is understood?  Make an argument about whether the theme of deferred dreams applies only to Harlem, or if it can apply to a broader context.
4. Write a literary analysis where you analyze the families portrayed in Glass Menagerie and“Everyday Use” [or just the play]. Pay particular attention to comparing Dee/Tom, Mama/Amanda, Maggie/Laura, and an absent father. Make an argument about why these authors would want to portray family in this way.  Consider time period, author demographics, themes, and setting.  The essay must advance a specific rationale regarding why family is presented in the manner it is.
5. Write a literary analysis wherein you discuss the concept of dreams in Glass Menagerie.  Write an argument about whether theWingfield family’s dreams (especially Tom) represent the American experience.  Why might Williams have been interested in depicting American dreams this way? What is the effect of social class on the family’s dreams?  What is the effect of dreams unfulfilled? You may wish to apply concepts from Hughes’ poem, “Harlem.”
6. Write a literary analysis that explores the character of Tom Wingfield in Glass Menagerie. Consider the foil relationship between Tom and Jim.  Discuss Williams’s choice to make Tom a character and the narrator of the play.  The essay’s argument should focus on whether Williams wants Tom to be viewed as a hero or a cautionary tale.
7. Write a literary analysis in which you prove whether A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be considered a comedy.  Address the incorporation of a tragedy within the play.  Refer specifically to Aristotle’s criteria for comedy.