ENGL 203, Section 523
Introduction to Literature
Instructor:
Kim Wells
Due Date: Thursday March 9
Percentage of Final Grade: 20%
Minimum of 5 maximum of 10 pages
Assignment:
Write a minimum 5- maximum 8 page paper. Use MLA-style parenthetical citation for quotes, double-space, type with a 12 point font and 1 inch margins, include a works cited page. Watch your grammar & spelling and include a "running header" on each page with your name and page number.
Choose one short story or poem (for poems, you may write on more than one, depending on the option you choose) that we have not previously covered in class, or will not cover before the semester is over (be sure to check your syllabus carefully!)
You may write about an author we have discussed, as long as you choose one of the works we have not or will not read as a class. Carefully consider the "Checklist for Getting Ideas for Writing About Fiction" on pp. 200-202 of your text if you choose to write about a short story, and the "Checklist for Getting Ideas for Writing about Poetry" on pp. 420-422 of your text if you choose a poem. No matter which option you choose, be certain to use the PRIMARY TEXT as evidence for your argument. Quote! Quote! Quote!
For additional tips on writing explications, see the following websites:
Writing a Literature Paper
Writing Papers of Literary Analysis
The Writing Center at Texas A&M University
Choose one of the following options:
1. Poetry Explication: analyze one poem's language-- look at simile and metaphor, literary allusions (look them up), rhythm & rhyme, tone, imagery, and/or any other literary devices (see pp. 1369-1381). The poem may use more than one type of literary device; be sure you consider how the poem's final effect is achieved as a result of the poem's language. Finally, decide what the overall effect of these literary techniques is on the poem's impact, and/or meaning. Be specific, and use quotes from the poem to support your points. Is there a shift in the language? Does the poet present the narration in a straightforward way? How is the poem arranged on the page?
2. Poetry Explication: compare and contrast the theme(s) of two poems by one author. Do both poems have similar and/or different thematic considerations? How does the author express the themes? Is the theme adequately addressed? Why or why not?
3. Short Story Explication: analyze the story's setting. Be sure to pay close attention to sensory detail, and descriptive passages that reveal something important about the story's plot and/or theme(s). How does the setting affect the story's characters? Does the setting play a part in the story's final outcome? How?
4. Short Story Explication: consider how the author develops the story's characters, paying special attention to the protagonist. Do you receive information about the character from their thoughts, from others' comments, from dialogue, from description of the character's overall appearance? How does the way the author characterizes the story's protagonist affect your impressions of the character's actions, and the story's outcome?
5. Creative Option: Choose one of the short stories we have read and write it from a different point of view than the one presented by the author (see p. 137-139 for a sample of this type of writing). Be certain to first consider the way the author creates the story-- you must use similar language, perhaps repeating motifs and images that the author uses, and a similar style. Try to make your version sound like the original. After you have written 3-4 pages of your own "creative" version of the shifted point of view story, write a 3-5 page analysis of your own story, explaining exactly why you chose the options you chose, and how you achieved the effects you wanted. Why did you focus on specific details, what was the overall theme/message you wanted your version to express? How effective do you feel you were in your version? How close did you come to the original? BOTH parts of this assignment are equally important-- your creativity and why you choose to use certain elements-- so do not focus too much on one to the exclusion of the other.
Sample Paper Layout: