Essay 1: THEME
The man in the Viking hat is Dr. W. Bryant Bachman... the most brilliant and kind man that i've ever known. He was my mentor, and he first came into my life, ironically, when I signed up for his Comp/Lit class.
Cattle die, kinsmen die,
one's self dies the same;
I know one thing which never dies --
the word-fame of a great man.
-- from an old Icelandic poem
You will write a 2 page essay in MLA style format on the THEME of one of the following stories: "A Rose for Emily", "The Chrysanthemums", "A & P", "Teenage Wasteland", "The Lottery", "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", "Hills Like White Elephants", or "A Hunger Artist".
TURNITIN: Course ID: 3075323 Password: complit10
Due Dates: Rough Draft due to Turnitin.com by 8:00pm on Sunday 2/21; Peer Editing of Rough Draft with Wordle (see below) is Monday, 2/22; Final Draft is due Wednesday 2/24.
** Copy and paste your INTRODUCTION into http://www.wordle.net/create . This will create a wordle for you. Pay attention to which words appear in your wordle-- those are the most frequently used words in your introduction-- and should be the most important! If words like "thing", "the", "it", "is", etc. appear in your wordle, then you may need to rewrite for clarity. This is due with your Rough Draft on Monday 2/22/2010.
Both Content & Format are important! Please make yourself aware of MLA format. Everything in MLA format is double-spaced... EVERYTHING! This means the header, the title, the paragraphs, and the Works Cited page. Everything should be in Times New Roman, 12 point font. Margins are typically 1 inch, and indentions are 5 spaces. A typical rule is that an essay should be 5 paragraphs in length; each paragraph should contain at least 5 sentences, and the paragraphs should be balanced in length.
* We always refer to the content of stories in the PRESENT tense. We always write scholarly essays in the FIRST PERSON... no "I's" or "You's", please!
* The essay must be YOUR OWN analysis. You MAY NOT look up outside research to write this essay. Please do not choose a story that you've already done outside research on, as this will affect your "reading" of the story. In addition, you may NOT incorporate biographical information (author) into the essay.
* The "THEME" of a work is its main idea. It is supported by the setting, plot, characters, and symbols, so rely heavily on your literary vocabulary when writing the essay. Remember that a theme involves a subject and a predicate and is often a conflict; do NOT limit your theme to a one-word description!
* You must present a thesis that defines the theme of the story. A thesis is stated in the first paragraph (introduction). Then you must back up your thesis with 3 specific topics. Your topic sentences should be stated at the beginning of each body paragraph; they clearly state what the paragraph will be about. The thesis is the main idea of the essay; the topic is the main idea of the paragraph, which supports the thesis in some way. Each body paragraph must contain at least 3 short quotes -- that are correctly incorporated and cited-- to illustrate your topic. Do not begin your conclusion with "in conclusion".
* The paper is, in essence, a close reading of one of the stories we've covered in class. You will take a critical approach to the story-- a style of reading-- which will help you narrow down your thesis and focus your discussion. Your discussion should be very succinct-- stick to one specific idea and DO NOT OVERSUMMARIZE or retell the story! Some types of criticism (as discussed in the textbook) are feminist, gender-based, race-based, class-based, and psychoanalytic. However, each essay should be TEXT-BASED ,.that is, you are only drawing on specifics from the text to prove your points and illustrate your theme: no outside research!
* The title of YOUR ESSAY must not be the same as the title of the story! Create a unique title that says something about your essay.
* Note that you must always mention the title and the author of the story upfront; however, the information should be worked into your thesis statement, not mentioned as a statement in and of itself; avoid this: "The Lottery" is a short story by Shirley Jackon. Okay... and SO?? Also, don't say, "this essay will be about..." Continue-- make a point. You only have 25 sentences to discuss your idea-- so use those sentences wisely! You should also state in ONE SENTENCE the main idea or premise of the short story you are discussing; a mult-sentence summary of the story is not necessary. However, it is necessary to inform readers as to the main plot point(s) of the story as well as the main characters. A good writer can convey this information in as little as 1 sentence.
* Writing Style is also important. Please use compound sentences; short, terse, simple sentences make for "choppy" writing. Please review comma and semi-colon rules in order to punctuate properly.
* Plagiarism will not be tolerated. This goes beyond printing papers off of the internet. Every idea in the essay must be your own. Everything that is not your own must be cited (in this case, that should be only direct quotes from the story itself). The story must be properly cited on a Works Cited page at the end of your essay.
* HANGING QUOTES are a common mistake in student essays. Basically, this is when a student quotes something as a sentence-- left standing all on its own-- stuck in the middle of a paragraph or somewhere in the essay. All quotes must be worked into your own sentences-- they must be part of your own ideas. All quotes should be introduced, worked into an original sentence, and explained.
Example: The lottery takes place "on the morning of June 27th [which] was clear and sunny" (Jackson 347); the title and initial setting of the story seems to indicate a bright tone, but the underlying context reveals a pervading darkness.
Notice how the quote is introduced and is part of a larger sentence that is all my own idea. Notice how it makes both grammatical and mechanical sense, and how I changed a word-- and noted it-- to make it make sense. Do not use quotes to summarize the story-- use them to further your analysis of the theme of the story.
* Subsequent quotes after the first only need a page number, not an author, since you will only be quoting 1 author in the essay.
ESSAY GUIDE
An ESSAY is a fully developed and organized set of paragraphs that develop and enlarge a central idea or argument. The central idea helps you control and shape your essay, just as it also provides guidance for your reader. Your THESIS statement will organize and forecast the major TOPICS you will treat in your essay.
Creative, Unique, Centered TITLE
Paragraph 1: Introduction:
Topic Sentence-- includes but is not limited to-- author's name and title of story.
Background Information (main points of the story that are relevant to your central idea); remember, you need to provide a synopsis of the story in 1-2 sentences that introduces the main characters as well.
Thesis (contains your central idea, your claim, your argument.
Some students like to include a lead in or a frame in the introduction. Please note that each paragraph needs at least 5 sentences, and this includes the introduction & conclusion.
Paragraphs 2, 3, 4: BODY Paragraphs:
Topic Sentence (main idea of the paragraph)
Supporting points and discussion
Specific examples with details (evidence/quotes from text)
Relate examples to supporting points and discussion
Concluding Sentence (bring paragraph to a close-- transition to next idea).
Paragraph 5: Conclusion:
No "in conclusion"
Don't repeat
Restate thesis and main points in a way that sums it all up-- ties it altogether.
General closing statements
Your conclusion should contain the "social commentary" of the work-- in other words, it should state how the story is relatable to society today-- what lessons we can learn from the story that we can apply. It is a good idea to refer back to your title as a way of bringing the essay full circle.
** We use PRESENT tense when referring to literature. We write in the 3rd PERSON. We use MLA format for internal citations and Works Cited, as well as overall paper format.
** Please use exact language. Be precise and concise-- clearly state your points.
** Short story titles are in quotes: "The Lottery". Poem titles are in quotes: "The Raven". Novel titles are underlined or italicized. Our textbook is underlined or italicized. You never punctuate the title of your own essay!
* Everything should be DOUBLE-SPACED.
GRAMMAR:
Independent Clause: Part of a unit that can stand on its own. A complete sentence.
Dependent Clause: Part of a sentence that cannot stand on its own; it is imbedded in the sentence and used as an adjective, noun, or adverb.
Sentence Fragment: incomplete sentence that is missing either a complete subject or predicate.
Fused Sentence (run-on): Two independent clauses run together without any punctuation. A sentence combines too many subjects and predicates and goes on and on.
Comma Splice: Incorrect use of a comma to seperate two independent clauses. Example: We went to the movies, we bought popcorn. You would need to include a conjunction after the comma (and), or you would need to use a semi-colon instead.
Dangling Modifier: A word or phrase that does not clearly modify another word or word group in the sentence. Example: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing. This says that "the article" "read"... but this isn't true. A possible revision might be: After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.
Misplaced Modifier: A descriptive or qualifying word or phrase placed in a position that confuses the reader. For example, these two sentences mean different things: I almost failed every English class I took. I failed almost every English class I took. Keep the modifiers as close as possible to the thing they are modifying in order to avoid confusion. Further examples: We ate the lunch we had brought slowly. This probably doesn't mean that we brought it slowly, but that we ate it slowly; revise: We slowly ate the lunch we had brought.
Essential and Non-essential Elements can cause comma errors. If if the information is essential for idenification, then do NOT set it off with commas. If the information is non-essential, then do include commas. Examples: Jim Carroll's book The Basketball Diaries is controversial. We don't need a comma because we need to know which book is being discussed. Example: Nikki Giovonni, the famous poet, gave a lecture at our school last year. We do need commas because the phrase isn't essential in us understanding the context of the sentence.
More Commas:
I took the test, and I made an "A".
I took the test and made an "A".
I took the test; I made an "A".
The first sentence needs a comma because what follows the conjunction is an independent clause. The third example needs a semi-colon because we are combining 2 independent clauses without the use of a conjunction.
Sample Essay
The Misconception of Impunity: Egotism and Intoxication in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"
Egotism, an inflated sense of self-importance, can disable a person's ability to accurately construe reality. Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" demonstrates the demise experienced by Fortunato, a character who possesses this flaw. Fortunato is the object of revenge for Montressor, the story's narrator. The full extent of reasoning for Montressor's vengeance remain unknown, but it is only when Fortunato succumbs to his weaknesses, an ego inflated by alcohol, that Montressor is able to exact his revenge. This destructive egotism is played out in the tale through irony and symbolism. Although Fortunato is presented many opportunities to escape Montressor's plot, his intoxication (literally, he is drunk with alcohol and figuratively, he is drunk with ego) takes over, and he remains the fool in denial of the reality of his situation.
The idea of foolishness is established from the onset of the tale with the setting, “the supreme madness of the carnival season" (Poe 244), a time when masking and drunkenness are socially acceptable; it is a time of fun, no seriousness. Fortunato participates in the revelry; this is made clear through a description of his outfit: "He had on a tight-fitting paristriped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap of bells" (244). Likewise, Montressor is also dressed for the carnival, but he is described as, “Putting on a mask of black silk and drawing a roquelaire” (244). Montressor’s mask acts as a symbol; he is masking (although loosely) his true intentions with Fortunato. The images of the black silk and cape are in stark contrast to Fortunato, who is dressed as a court jester. The imagery clearly establishes Montressor as the more serious figure and stereotypes Fortunato as a “clown”.
Fortunato's foolishness is also due, in part, to his massive ego. He is lured into the catacombs based on his pride of his "connoisseurship of wine" (244). Montressor goads Fortunato by telling him that he will seek out Lucresi, who Fortunato later refers to as an "ignoramus" (246), to go down and test the Amontillado that he just bought, to which Fortunato boasts, "Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry" (244). As readers can see, Fortunato is quick with his insults, and he later does realize the irony of the Montressor family motto, "no one insults me without impunity" (245). As Montressor guides Fortunato down to the catacombs, he gives him many clues to his impending doom; for example, Montressor inquires about Fortunato's cough and offers to turn around and go back because, "your health is precious" (245), to which Fortunato ironically replies, "I will not die of a cough" (245). Fortunato is too wrapped up in his mission, to prove his knowledge of wine, to focus in on these clues. Further ironic "hints" to Montressor's plan include his mention of De Grave wine, the discussion of masonry, and even the crypt itself. Readers may lose sympathy for the victim because he is presented as a clown who can't distinguish reality from make-believe.
Aside from being typed as an egotistical fool, Fortunato is further impaired by literal drunkenness. Montressor says, upon encountering Fortunato, “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much” (244). As Montressor escorts Fortunato down to the catacombs, he notes, “the gait of my friend was unsteady” (244), which implies that Fortunato is tipsy from drinking. Montressor further describes Fortunato: “He turned towards me and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication” (244). Fortunato’s unsteadiness is both physical and mental; his drunkenness has inhibited his ability to comprehend the situation. Even as Montressor backs him into the wall to be buried alive, he is “too much astounded to resist” (247). He still shows concern for the amontillado and he misinterprets his situation as a joke until the moment that the alcohol wears off; in his moment of realization, he cries, “for the love of God Montressor” (248). In the end, “the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off” (248); this is acknowledged with a “low moaning cry from the depth of the recess” (248). The last we hear of Fortunato is “only a jingling of the bells” (248), a death ring. The reality of being buried alive quickly sobers Fortunato, but had he been sober to begin with, perhaps he would not have allowed himself to be led to his own demise.
Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado”, Poe demonstrates how destructive “intoxication” can be. “Intoxication” infers an extreme state of being; during carnival season, it is easy to slip into extreme behavior. Because Fortunato becomes drunk both with liquor and with ego, he remains blind to the reality of Montressor’s revenge. It is in Fortunato’s power the entire time to control his own fortune, but his ego and his inebriation continually get the best of him. He exercises poor judgment and allows himself to be duped into an otherwise foreseeable fate. The result of Fortunato’s intoxication is that he becomes a dense fool, and it costs him his life.
** Note: In MLA format, everything is DOUBLE spaced.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado”. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing.
5th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Heinle, 2004. 243-
248.
NOTES ON THESIS SENTENCES AND TOPIC SENTENCES: Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence. If the thesis contains multiple points or assertions, each body paragraph should support or justify, in order the assertions made in the multi-point thesis sentence. Not all thesis sentences will, or should, lay out each of the points to be covered in the essay. Generally, if the thesis sentence contains three related points, there should be three body paragraphs, though the number of paragraphs should be based on the number of supports needed. Thus, the topic sentence for the first body paragraph will refer to the first point in the thesis sentence and the topic sentence for the second body paragraph will refer to the second point in the thesis sentence. For example, if the thesis sentence is "A college essay has an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph," the topic sentence for body paragraph one might read, "The first paragraph of an essay is the introductory paragraph"; the topic sentence for body paragraph two might read, "The introductory paragraph is followed by several body paragraphs"; and the topic sentence for body paragraph three might read, "The college essay's final paragraph is its concluding paragraph." Each body paragraph uses specific details, such as anecdotes, comparisons and contrasts, definitions, examples, expert opinions, explanations, facts, and statistics to support and develop the claim that its topic sentence makes. Organizing your essay around the thesis sentence should begin with arranging the supporting elements to justify the assertion put forth in the thesis sentence. Again, Not all thesis sentences will, or should, lay out each of the points to be covered in the essay. It is often effective to end a body paragraph with a sentence which rationalizes its presence in the essay. It seems that ending a body paragraph without some sense of closure to the point causes the thought to sound truncated, incomplete. Each body paragraph is something like a miniature essay in that they each need an introductory sentence that sounds important and interesting, and they each need a good closing sentence in order to produce a smooth transition between one point and the next.. Don't spend too long on any one point. Providing extensive background may interest some readers, but others might find it tiresome. Keep in mind that the main importance of an essay is to provide basic background on a subject and, hopefully, to spark enough interest to induce further reading. The concluding paragraph usually restates the thesis and leaves the reader something about the topic to think about. If appropriate, it may also issue a call to action, inviting the reader to take a specific course of action with regard to the points that the essay presented. Aristotle suggested that speakers and, by extension writers, should tell their audience what they are going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what they've told them. The model of the essay that divides it into three parts, consisting of an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph, follows this strategy.
SAMPLE THESIS: Through the character Elisa Allen, John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” demonstrates the consequences of physical and emotional isolation.
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 1: The setting of the story indicates Elisa’s physical isolation from society. - the closed-pot imagery - the fence imagery - having to go into town to do anything -
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 2: While both Elisa and her husband are physically isolated, they are emotionally isolated from one another as well. - living their lives apart from each other- wrapped up in their own tasks - their conversations that always end in “good” - their miscommunication (he compliments her, but she misunderstands)
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 3: The appearance of the tinker in the story allows Elisa, even for just a brief moment, to contemplate breaking free from her isolation. - in his travels - in her emotions toward him - in his taking her chrysanthemums, symbolic of her, away from the farm - however, in the end, she “scrubs” herself clean of these contemplations; nothing has changed between herself and her husband (back to “good”), and with the sight of Elisa’s flowers on the road, readers know that the tinker presented only a false hope…
SAMPLE TOPIC FOR CONCLUSION: Isolation can have profound effects on human beings; for Elisa Allen, the most significant result of isolation is the unfulfillment she experiences in her roles as a woman and as a wife.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Example 1:
A. Sammy's physical attraction to a female, letting foolish pride and lack of judgement, cause him to suffer consequences that he belived was worth his job.
B. John Updike's short story "A&P" shows that pride, even "noble" pride, can lead to serious consequences.
Example 2:
A. john steinbeck's "the chrysanthemum's" shows how the feminist movement effects women in many different way. Elisa Allen, the main character, demonstrates the expected feminine role with great style throughout the story yet shows off many individual anty-conformity qualities.
B. John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” takes place before the height of the feminist movement and shows the struggle that women faced between conformity and individuality. The protagonist Elisa Allen is a representative of this tension; in some ways, she fits the female stereotype, and in other ways, her individuality breaks through as she almost succumbs to unconformity.
Example 3:
A. Faulkner ironically creates the overall theme of death; Emily refuses to let her customs die.
B. In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner displays the consequences that can result from the inability to accept death.
[Note, that I would use “death” as a duel meaning and include Homer’s unwillingness to marry Emily and his intent to “go away” as a kind of figurative “death” in the story.]
Example 4:
A. Although Sammy’s Manager represents the backwards times of the period, Sammy represents the new age with rebellious undertones in “A & P”.
B. John Updike’s short story “A&P” serves as a reflection on a time in history when society was struggling between shifting values and maintaining tradition. The store manager and shoppers in the grocery store represent tradition, while the rebellious actions of Sammy and three female shoppers who walk into the store “wearing nothing but bathing suits” (224) foreshadow a shift in those traditional values to a more liberal era.
A. Hemingway, through out his story, depicts a sense of abondonment and sorrow; one could only experience without the love of a family.
B. Revised: In the short stoy "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway uses the setting and characters, including an old man and two bartenders, to depict the sense of overwhelming sorrow that results from loneliness.
Final Example:
A. The fasting performer in “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka shows a man’s feelings of alienation and isolation throughout the acting of his art. The hunger artist spends most of his life, in a cage, on display. Although the hunger artist receives attention from several people there is a barrier from the rest of them. The dedication the hunger artist has for fasting alienates his from the real world, as he slowly disappears from the community. Isolation and alienation can occur to anyone who is not normal to the rest of the world, like the hunger artist who fasted 40 days separated him from the others.
B. Franz Kafka's short story "A Hunger Artist" shows how isolating it can be to be labeled as "different" by society. The protagonist in the story is a "hunger artist" whose art is fasting; while he receives attention by displaying his art for the public, there remains a barrier between he and his audience. The dedication he has for his art alienates him from the real world, and he slowly disappears (figuratively, the public loses interest in him, and literally, his body wastes away from starvation). The feeling of isolation can affect anyone who is not perceived as "normal" by the rest of the world; the story also shows that human beings crave interaction, and alienation can never be satisfying.
How will you be graded?
How will you be graded?
Thesis: 10 (does it clearly state a theme)
Topic Statements: 10 (begins each paragraph- does it clearly indicate what the paragraph is about in a way that relates back to the thesis/theme)
Transitions: 10 (does it connect what came in the previous paragraph to the topic of the current paragraph)
Organization: 10 (are the ideas presented in a logical order both in the essay as a whole and in each individual paragraph… is there a pattern, and does it flow)
Grammar: 10 (commas, semi-colons, etc.)
Mechanics: 10 (sentence “sense”: modifiers, complex sentences- not short and choppy, etc.)
Language: 10 (precise and descriptive, not vague and inexact)
Content: 20 (quantity (2 pages, 5 paragraphs, at least 5 sentences per paragraph) and quality (do you have relevant points of discussion, adequate examples, etc.)
Citations: 10 (MLA Format, at least 3 short quotes per body paragraph, Work Cited)
In addition, you will lose points for incorrect MLA presentation of the paper, i.e. does it have a header on the upper left-hand corner, is the entire essay double-spaced, is the title centered, are the margins 1 inch, are the indentions 5 spaces, is the essay STAPLED, etc… do NOT lose “giveaway” points for basic format!
HOMEWORK: Due Next Class Period:
1. What is you favorite word? Why? What does it mean? Please bring this to the next class period.
2. Think one moment that altered the course of your life, one moment that helped to define who you are today. Describe that one moment in detail. Bring this to the next class period.
