Length: 2.5-3.5 pages
Topic: Choosing a journal or magazine article which 1) presents an argument and 2) interests you, write a full critique of the piece selected. This article must speak to the issue or problem you have chosen to pursue.
Keep in mind that a critique is not necessarily negative criticism of a piece, but a careful response and analysis of it. Not all critiques are negative, but for simplicity sake, I'd like you to respond to a piece of analysis that you disagree with.
Purpose: Your goal in writing this critique is to convey to your reader your overall assessment of the relative success or failure of the article of in question. This assessment will form the core of your thesis statement and should be presented somewhere in the introduction. Make sure your discussions of the language and argument of the article connect in obvious and meaningful ways to your overall evaluation/thesis statement.
Audience: Write to an intelligent adult who either has just skimmed the article or who has only a vague understanding of this issue. You want to give your audience a clear idea of the value of the article.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
List of Possible Topics for Paper #3
Stem Cells
Genetically Modified Organisms
Universal Health Care
Music Rating System
Censorship
Animal Rights
Vegetarianism
Urban Sprawl
Consumerism
Global Warming
Intelligent Design
Breakdown of Community
Globalization
The Do-It-Yourself Movement
Environmental Terrorism
Gansta Rap
The Presidential Primaries
Migrant Labor
Illegal immigrants
Dept. of Homeland Security
Right to Privacy and Warrantless Wire-tapping
Alternative Energy
Independent media
White privilege
Patriotism
Sweat Shops
WTO Protests
AIDS
SARS
Alcoholism
Steroids in Sports
Skateboarding
Stereotypes about Youth
Body Art
Body Image
Jazz and Improvisation
Genetically Modified Food
Local Foods Movement
Wind Power
Genetically Modified Organisms
Universal Health Care
Music Rating System
Censorship
Animal Rights
Vegetarianism
Urban Sprawl
Consumerism
Global Warming
Intelligent Design
Breakdown of Community
Globalization
The Do-It-Yourself Movement
Environmental Terrorism
Gansta Rap
The Presidential Primaries
Migrant Labor
Illegal immigrants
Dept. of Homeland Security
Right to Privacy and Warrantless Wire-tapping
Alternative Energy
Independent media
White privilege
Patriotism
Sweat Shops
WTO Protests
AIDS
SARS
Alcoholism
Steroids in Sports
Skateboarding
Stereotypes about Youth
Body Art
Body Image
Jazz and Improvisation
Genetically Modified Food
Local Foods Movement
Wind Power
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Paper #2 Topics
Realist/Regionalist Paper
Winter Term 2008
Length: 2.5-3.5 pages
Topic: Using one of the regionalist/realist novels and/or short stories we have read this year, answer the following question: What intentions do the authors’ have in documenting and demonstrating the various tensions that arise when the sterilizing influence of the modern world comes into contact with the largely isolated communities where these stories take place?
Works for Consideration:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Their Eyes Were Watching God
“The White Heron”
“Namesake”
“The Death in the Desert”
Note: Resist the temptation to guess wildly. Good analysis is the product of looking closely at a given subject. These tensions can be both physical and emotional/phycological in nature. Your opinions will need to be backed up with excellent textual support.
Winter Term 2008
Length: 2.5-3.5 pages
Topic: Using one of the regionalist/realist novels and/or short stories we have read this year, answer the following question: What intentions do the authors’ have in documenting and demonstrating the various tensions that arise when the sterilizing influence of the modern world comes into contact with the largely isolated communities where these stories take place?
Works for Consideration:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Their Eyes Were Watching God
“The White Heron”
“Namesake”
“The Death in the Desert”
Note: Resist the temptation to guess wildly. Good analysis is the product of looking closely at a given subject. These tensions can be both physical and emotional/phycological in nature. Your opinions will need to be backed up with excellent textual support.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Their Eyes... (1-20) Assignment
Respond to one of the two following quotes in 5-7 sentences. Please explain the quote and its relevance to the first two chapters of the book.
1. "Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (page 1).
2. "[Janie] was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." (page 11).
1. "Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." (page 1).
2. "[Janie] was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." (page 11).
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Course Info and Expectations
Extra Help: In order to attend extra help you must sign up for a time on the sign up sheet in the American Literature Room. Extra help sessions will take place on Mondays between 6:00-7:45 pm in the English Office.
Expectations:
1) Do not ask me (in person or through email) what the homework is unless you have checked the American Literature Homepage and asked a friend first. If you find a discrepency or are confused, however, you are welcome to contact me.
2) All homework is due before class starts on the corresponding due date.
3) Papers handed in (in person and electronically) after class begins will automatically loose five points from the final draft grade.
4) Papers handed in after the due date will loose 10 points on their final grade.
5) Papers handed in 4 or more days late will receive a high grade of 50 percent and will not receive any comments.
**PLEASE NOTE: It is not my responsibility to remind you to hand in your homework. Nor is it my responsibility to remind you of missing work. Any work over one week late will not be graded.
Expectations:
1) Do not ask me (in person or through email) what the homework is unless you have checked the American Literature Homepage and asked a friend first. If you find a discrepency or are confused, however, you are welcome to contact me.
2) All homework is due before class starts on the corresponding due date.
3) Papers handed in (in person and electronically) after class begins will automatically loose five points from the final draft grade.
4) Papers handed in after the due date will loose 10 points on their final grade.
5) Papers handed in 4 or more days late will receive a high grade of 50 percent and will not receive any comments.
**PLEASE NOTE: It is not my responsibility to remind you to hand in your homework. Nor is it my responsibility to remind you of missing work. Any work over one week late will not be graded.
A Word on Honor
HONOR CODE
At Proctor, honesty is highly valued. If you cheat—this includes plagiarizing—you may lose credit for the assignment or for the course. If you cheat again, you will be dismissed from Proctor. All of the work you turn in as your own—homework, quizzes, tests, papers, etc.—should be your own. Please write the honor pledge on every quiz and test. Please write “I have not plagiarized while writing this paper” on all papers.
At Proctor, honesty is highly valued. If you cheat—this includes plagiarizing—you may lose credit for the assignment or for the course. If you cheat again, you will be dismissed from Proctor. All of the work you turn in as your own—homework, quizzes, tests, papers, etc.—should be your own. Please write the honor pledge on every quiz and test. Please write “I have not plagiarized while writing this paper” on all papers.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Analytical Papers - Rules and Guides
PAPER REQUIREMENTS
** All papers should be printed out and handed in at the BEGINNING of class on the due date. Papers should also be emailed to me.
1. Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with standard 1-inch margins, approximately 650-750 words (2-2.5 pages).
2. You must use three quotations (one quote for each body paragraph). DO NOT simply plug in a long quotation to full up space. You should have twice as much of your own writing relating to each quotation you use.
3. Do not use I, you, or we in a formal paper
4. Proof read for run-on sentences
5. Properly cite quotations: (Author's Last Name page#).
6. Use the present tense (not past or future)
7. Use the active tense (not passive)
8. Number each page.
9. Format the paper correctly: name, course, section, date in the right margin; title in bold; no extra space between paragraphs.
GENERAL GUIDELINE
Introduction: 6-7 sentences
First Sentence: Introduce author and play and make general comment on play
Second Sentence: Thesis statement (this is something that you are going to argue in your paper – what is your point? Use the essay question to help you write this.)
Body Paragraphs: 7 sentences (at least)
First sentence: Topic sentence
Second sentence: Introduce Quote – speaker? What is happening?
Quote: remember to cite it properly (Author’s Last Name, p #). Do not use a quote that is longer than five lines for one paragraph. Only one quote per paragraph
Fourth sentence: Explain quote in your own words
Fifth and Sixth sentences: Explain the significance of the quote to your topic sentence. Answer the question: why this quote? What does this quote say that is important?
Seventh sentence: transitional sentence – try to connect idea of this paragraph to the next paragraph.
Conclusion: 6 or 7 Sentences
First sentence: Restate your thesis
Second sentence: General comment
Start specific and end general
Give the reader something to take home.
** All papers should be printed out and handed in at the BEGINNING of class on the due date. Papers should also be emailed to me.
1. Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with standard 1-inch margins, approximately 650-750 words (2-2.5 pages).
2. You must use three quotations (one quote for each body paragraph). DO NOT simply plug in a long quotation to full up space. You should have twice as much of your own writing relating to each quotation you use.
3. Do not use I, you, or we in a formal paper
4. Proof read for run-on sentences
5. Properly cite quotations: (Author's Last Name page#).
6. Use the present tense (not past or future)
7. Use the active tense (not passive)
8. Number each page.
9. Format the paper correctly: name, course, section, date in the right margin; title in bold; no extra space between paragraphs.
GENERAL GUIDELINE
Introduction: 6-7 sentences
First Sentence: Introduce author and play and make general comment on play
Second Sentence: Thesis statement (this is something that you are going to argue in your paper – what is your point? Use the essay question to help you write this.)
Body Paragraphs: 7 sentences (at least)
First sentence: Topic sentence
Second sentence: Introduce Quote – speaker? What is happening?
Quote: remember to cite it properly (Author’s Last Name, p #). Do not use a quote that is longer than five lines for one paragraph. Only one quote per paragraph
Fourth sentence: Explain quote in your own words
Fifth and Sixth sentences: Explain the significance of the quote to your topic sentence. Answer the question: why this quote? What does this quote say that is important?
Seventh sentence: transitional sentence – try to connect idea of this paragraph to the next paragraph.
Conclusion: 6 or 7 Sentences
First sentence: Restate your thesis
Second sentence: General comment
Start specific and end general
Give the reader something to take home.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Paper #3 Topics
This paper is a three-page or 1000 word personal essay on one of the following topics.
1. Writing a Wrong. Write a three page essay in which you react to an issue or situation at Proctor that you believe needs to be re-evaluated, fixed or was handled poorly. This may be a rule from the Green Book, an inter-personal situation, or an administrative decision. The key to this paper is to develop a clear stance, to look at all sides of the issue and to suggest some concrete strategies or steps that to remedy the situation or to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
2. Journal Paper. This paper will be comprised of 4 – 6 journal entries. These entries should be written “in the field” and then brought back indoors, typed up, and edited.
The purpose of this paper is to combine close observation of our natural world with some reflections on your world. The goal is to observe and describe some of the natural world around the Proctor campus while mirroring Thoreau’s journals.
- record any observations of nature
- write how you or people "should" live to improve their lives – reflections on society
- explore what happens to you & your thoughts when you slow down
- digress and let your mind wander
Requirements: You need to include FOUR specific elements of nature in DETAIL. This might be the wind, the light, a type of bug, the look of a group of trees, the signs of autumn, a close up description of a spot in the woods. This shows your ability to “see” closely. Use sensory details. Also, include FOUR thoughts on society, your life, human nature.
3. Speech Topics. You may also choose to do a paper on either speech question #1 (“What is Education For?) or #2 (A Paradox). Please do not “double up” and write the paper on the same topic you are giving a speech on.
1. Writing a Wrong. Write a three page essay in which you react to an issue or situation at Proctor that you believe needs to be re-evaluated, fixed or was handled poorly. This may be a rule from the Green Book, an inter-personal situation, or an administrative decision. The key to this paper is to develop a clear stance, to look at all sides of the issue and to suggest some concrete strategies or steps that to remedy the situation or to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
2. Journal Paper. This paper will be comprised of 4 – 6 journal entries. These entries should be written “in the field” and then brought back indoors, typed up, and edited.
The purpose of this paper is to combine close observation of our natural world with some reflections on your world. The goal is to observe and describe some of the natural world around the Proctor campus while mirroring Thoreau’s journals.
- record any observations of nature
- write how you or people "should" live to improve their lives – reflections on society
- explore what happens to you & your thoughts when you slow down
- digress and let your mind wander
Requirements: You need to include FOUR specific elements of nature in DETAIL. This might be the wind, the light, a type of bug, the look of a group of trees, the signs of autumn, a close up description of a spot in the woods. This shows your ability to “see” closely. Use sensory details. Also, include FOUR thoughts on society, your life, human nature.
3. Speech Topics. You may also choose to do a paper on either speech question #1 (“What is Education For?) or #2 (A Paradox). Please do not “double up” and write the paper on the same topic you are giving a speech on.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hayes Speaking Prize
Speech Topics
Time Limit: 5 Minutes.
1. What is education for? Answer this vital question. The key to this paper is to take the question seriously and to honestly challenge yourself to come up with a well-thought out and definitive answer. If you pick this topic, please remember, “giving less homework,” “having less class time” and other simple-minded suggestions will not be accepted as legitimate suggestions. When considering this question, please look at as many sides of the issue as possible and provide accounts from your experience being a student.
2. A paradox refers to a statement, proposition or situation that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact is or may be true. Thoreau’s statement that “A government governs best, when governing least” may be looked at as a paradox. The fact that many of our cleaning products today contain chemicals that pollute the environment, and thus, to not clean, in fact, may be a cleaner option, is also a paradox. Deliver a five minute-long speech describing a paradox that you see happening at here at Proctor or in your personal life. Explain why you think this is an important issue and describe what actions you might take to address this contradictory situation.
3. Respond to the following quotation as it relates to your life at home or here at Proctor. “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller.
Time Limit: 5 Minutes.
1. What is education for? Answer this vital question. The key to this paper is to take the question seriously and to honestly challenge yourself to come up with a well-thought out and definitive answer. If you pick this topic, please remember, “giving less homework,” “having less class time” and other simple-minded suggestions will not be accepted as legitimate suggestions. When considering this question, please look at as many sides of the issue as possible and provide accounts from your experience being a student.
2. A paradox refers to a statement, proposition or situation that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact is or may be true. Thoreau’s statement that “A government governs best, when governing least” may be looked at as a paradox. The fact that many of our cleaning products today contain chemicals that pollute the environment, and thus, to not clean, in fact, may be a cleaner option, is also a paradox. Deliver a five minute-long speech describing a paradox that you see happening at here at Proctor or in your personal life. Explain why you think this is an important issue and describe what actions you might take to address this contradictory situation.
3. Respond to the following quotation as it relates to your life at home or here at Proctor. “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Paper #2 Topics
NOTE: The guidelines for Paper #2 are the same as the guidelines for Paper #1. Please re-read the Paper #1 guidelines before writing this paper.
**AGAIN, all 1st paragraphs are to be emailed to me, while rough drafts and final drafts are to be printed out and handed in BEFORE class on the corresponding due date.
1. Both Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman were long-time students and proponents of the Transcendentalist Philosophy espoused by Ralph Waldo Emerson. From your experience reading both writers, which one succeeds best in capturing the spirit of Emerson’s teaching in their writing? Make sure to account for both the form as well the content these writers use to get their ideas across. In this essay, you should include quotations from Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman to back up your analysis.
2. In this essay, compare Thoreau’s writing in Walden with his Journals. What effect do these contrasting forms (essay and journal) have on the overall meaning and message of the two texts and how do they hinder or help get these messages across? When brainstorming for this essay, please consider that Thoreau eventually came to view the journal as his life’s work, and he largely gave up trying to find commercial success through fiction and essay writing. Please include a number of quotations from both Walden and Thoreau’s Journals.
3. Look closely at either “Young Goodman Brown” or “The Minister’s Black Veil” and identify the dominant tone (the author’s attitude) of the short story. Then set about answering how Hawthorne goes about achieving this tone. When writing this paper, you may find it helpful to discuss literary devices and techniques such as foreshadowing, irony, figurative language, narrative pace, etc. Please include a number of quotations to back up your answer.
4. In this essay, look closely at Thoreau’s Walden, Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” and identify the critical component in each author’s view of success. Are there similarities or a common thread that marks these views or is the idea of success particularly different for these three writers?
**AGAIN, all 1st paragraphs are to be emailed to me, while rough drafts and final drafts are to be printed out and handed in BEFORE class on the corresponding due date.
1. Both Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman were long-time students and proponents of the Transcendentalist Philosophy espoused by Ralph Waldo Emerson. From your experience reading both writers, which one succeeds best in capturing the spirit of Emerson’s teaching in their writing? Make sure to account for both the form as well the content these writers use to get their ideas across. In this essay, you should include quotations from Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman to back up your analysis.
2. In this essay, compare Thoreau’s writing in Walden with his Journals. What effect do these contrasting forms (essay and journal) have on the overall meaning and message of the two texts and how do they hinder or help get these messages across? When brainstorming for this essay, please consider that Thoreau eventually came to view the journal as his life’s work, and he largely gave up trying to find commercial success through fiction and essay writing. Please include a number of quotations from both Walden and Thoreau’s Journals.
3. Look closely at either “Young Goodman Brown” or “The Minister’s Black Veil” and identify the dominant tone (the author’s attitude) of the short story. Then set about answering how Hawthorne goes about achieving this tone. When writing this paper, you may find it helpful to discuss literary devices and techniques such as foreshadowing, irony, figurative language, narrative pace, etc. Please include a number of quotations to back up your answer.
4. In this essay, look closely at Thoreau’s Walden, Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” and identify the critical component in each author’s view of success. Are there similarities or a common thread that marks these views or is the idea of success particularly different for these three writers?
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