DUE: 6 pm, Friday, December 16, 2011
Explanation
This essay will be a demonstration of the skills you have
learned and practiced throughout the semester. You will close read, interpret,
and contextualize a passage from a text, and you will make a unique and
compelling argument based on your reading. By now, the operation of close
reading and interpretation should be familiar to you, and the method we’ve
developed so far applies to the final essay. However, while weekly assignments
could pass without attention to argument or context, this essay must include extensive
and appropriate contextualizing elements as well as a clearly articulated
argument based on your reading. Finally, this is your opportunity to compare
works that we’ve read. Your primary text (that is, the text that provides the
focus for your paper) must be from the second half of the class; however, you
can compare that work to anything we have read this semester. We have not
practiced comparative work, so it is not required. But, if you’re feeling
ambitious please feel free to make an attempt. The successful paper will
include the following elements, not necessarily in this order:
- Introduction and thesis statement. The introduction should not be general, but should introduce your specific reading and argument. Give the reader details that matter, including some reference to your critical lens. The thesis should be one or two declarative sentences that make an arguable assertion. General, non-argumentative statements will not count as a thesis.
- Close reading of one or two passages. Close read one or two passages from your chosen text. Remember, close reading begins with an identification of one or two important rhetorical techniques. Do not catalogue techniques; instead, choose the most relevant. Define the technique, identify it in the passage, and then describe HOW it creates meaning in the passage. This last part is the beginning of your interpretation. If you decide to close read more than one passage, be sure the second passage is related, in some way, to the first. Both should advance and support your argument.
- Expanded interpretation. After you close read, apply the meaning you’ve derived from the passage to the rest of the text, explaining why your interpretation of the passage helps us better understand the larger meanings of the text.
- Contextualization. You can provide context in any number of ways. For our purposes, we might classify context in three ways: personal, historical, and critical. Personal context explains what kind of approach or lens you’re using; historical context focuses on relevant historical details that enhance your close reading; critical context introduces another’s argument about the same text, which you will challenge, complicate, or extend. Unlike the midterm, your final close reading should be extensively contextualized and should include a combination of the three types of contexts. Here are some things about context to keep in mind:
- It is absolutely imperative that you use acceptable sources, namely, the Bedford Glossary, the Oxford Online Reference, and articles from the MLA Bibliography.
- Be thorough in your definitions of terms and ideas.
- Always, always, always properly identify and cite your sources.
- Finally, remember that context can come at any moment in your essay, and it should be integrated in a way that supports your argument and improves the organization and coherence of your ideas.
- Conclusion. Always include some brief concluding remarks about your reading and why it matters.
Suggestions
Keep in mind, this is not a five paragraph essay but a much
more complex piece of writing and therefore should be organized accordingly.
Only the introduction and conclusion have a fixed place in the essay. The other
elements may be organized at your discretion and in a manner that best suits
your argument. Write them in whatever combination you feel is most effective.
Also, keep in mind that I expect these papers to be more advanced
than first drafts. Please reread and revise your papers to improve their organization
(the order of paragraphs and other blocks of information), coherence (of transitions
between ideas), clarity (of sentences), and correctness (of grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and citation). You must have an identifiable thesis statement in
the form of one or two declarative sentences that make an arguable assertion.
Without this, it will be impossible to effectively organize your ideas.
You will have no opportunity to revise your final paper, so
the grade you receive will stand as your permanent grade for the paper.
Requirements
- Choose any one short story or novel as the target text for your final paper.
- Use a range of contextual information, including engagement with at least one critical article, obtained from the MLA bibliography, and relevant to your target text.
- Include an identifiable thesis, written as a single, declarative sentence that makes a compelling argument. The thesis should be integrated into the introduction.
- Include a Works Cited page, properly formatted.
- Devise an interesting title that reflects the thesis of your paper.
- Write 1,600 words minimum.
- Email me your midterm essay in .doc, .docx, or .rtf. I will not accept any other formats.
- All midterm essays must be emailed to me by 6 pm on Friday, December 16. Late essays will automatically receive no credit.
