Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily” and the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both privileged, protected women affected by circumstances beyond their control; however, paradoxically, both women take control of their situations or become empowered in some ways. Select one of these two women, and explain how she overcomes her powerlessness, and how she is able to use her apparent lack of power to subvert the established order of her society (in the context of the story, that is).

Write an analysis of the symbolism used in either Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” or Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.” What specific symbols occur in the story, and how do they function in the story? (Be sure to discuss more than just the one main symbol in each story!)

Write an analysis of the characterization of Miss Emily Grierson in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” or of the narrator, Montresor, in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” How is he or she developed or revealed? What do we learn about him or her, and how? Focus on the author’s use of narration, description, and dialogue to reveal character.

Discuss the theme of either “A Worn Path” or “Everyday Use”; what is the central idea, thesis, or message of the story, and how is it revealed or developed?

Discuss the settings (or settings) in either O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” or in Welty’s “A Worn Path,” including both location and time; what is the effect of the setting, what is its purpose, and how does it function in the story?

Essay Two--Poetry: Due Tuesday, Nov. 11
After reading Hodges' 41 ("Writing about Literature"), select one of the topics to discuss in a well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful essay. Be sure to focus carefully on the topic, and remember that these are formal essays: they must have an appropriate, original title; contain an introduction, body, and conclusion; have a clear, explicit, assertive, objectively worded thesis statement (thesis statements must be underlined); and (unless otherwise indicated) avoid use of I or you throughout. Note: This is not a research essay; the only sources utilized or quoted should be the texts themselves. See also Writing a Literature Paper and Getting an A on an English Paper for additional assistance.

Poems for either of the following topics should be selected from the textbook but not be listed on the syllabus. If the textbook does not have sufficient selections for you, try one or more of the links below. Note: if the poems you use are not in the textbook, you must include photocopies with your essay!

BP: British Poetry 1780-1910: A Hypertext Archive
CP: A Compendium of Poetry
ME: Modern English Collection, E-Text Center (U VA)
PA: Poetry Archives @ eMule.com
PB: Project Bartleby
PL: Poetry Archive at Plagiarist.com
PO: Poetry Online
RPO: Representative Poets Online

Choose one of the following topics:

 Select two poems written or published at least twenty-five years apart, that are both about the same subject matter: Nature, Art, Love, Sex, Age, Death or Mourning, War, Race, Gender. Compare and contrast the way the two treat the same theme. Your analysis should establish a clear connection between the two poems, beyond merely "They both discuss love" or "both refer to death"; rather, the connection should be based on similarities in situation, structure, language, imagery, theme, et cetera. For example,

Randall Jarrell’s “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” and Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” both feature first-person narrators who recount the circumstances of their own deaths; however, while the former poem presents an image of death as violent and pointless, the latter suggests that death may actually be a welcome end to the struggles and obligations of life.

   Your essay should explore the poems'  tone, speaker, language (including figurative language or imagery, diction, and allusions) and structure (including meter and rhyme scheme, or the lack of them), and explain how these are interrelated and how they shape or influence meaning.

 Select a poem and a short story (not one read or discussed in class) that treat the same subject matter: Nature, Art, Love, Sex, Age, Death or Mourning, War, Race, Gender. Compare and contrast the way the two treat the same theme. As above, your analysis should establish a clear connection between the two works, beyond merely "They both discuss love" or "both refer to death"; rather, the connection should be based on similarities in situation, structure, language, imagery, et cetera, as above

 Select a poem (or poems) and analyze how it challenges or calls into question our culture's beliefs or myths about "Art" or poetry, love, marriage or relationships between men and women, death, the nature of religious experience, the nature and causes of war, race and culture, or gender roles.

Research Paper:
Compose a clear, well-written, properly documented (MLA Style) argumentative essay of at least 1250-1500 words (roughly five pages minimum) on the topic you previously selected (for Summary 1 and Summary 2, above), utilizing the thesis statement and sources from the preliminary bibliography already submitted (see above). The Research Essay should include a cover page and Works Cited page (cover page and Works Cited do not count toward the five-page requirement).

The paper must be argumentative (persuasive), with a clear, explicit, and assertive thesis statement. Essays must use a minimum of three to five reputable critical or scholarly sources (including at least one short quotation, one long—block—quotation, and one paraphrase, from three different sources), and these references should be used to support your assertions and be properly documented (utilizing MLA-style citations for documentation). See also, Research Paper checklist.

Topic Selection and Preliminary Thesis: Due Thursday, Sept. 25
You must establish a clear thesis before you can begin to put together a focused, well-organized, and purposeful research essay. Therefore, as your first step in the research essay assignment, you must develop and submit a clear, well-written, one-page explanation of the topic you have chosen, your reason for the selection, your focus and opinion, and a clear, well-written, explicit, and assertive preliminary thesis. This proposal may also include a preliminary idea of the plan of the paper, its intention or research question, Note: Choose your topic carefully. You will not be allowed to change your topic once you have made your selection, although you may change your position on the particular issue and will, presumably, modify your thesis during the process of research and writing.

Select one of the following broad topics. These topics need to be further restricted, so narrow and focus the topic yourself; then, compose your assertive thesis statement.

1.)  Teaching Intelligent Design in public schools

2.)  School voucher programs

3.)  Compulsory motorcycle helmet laws

4.)  Bio-medical stem-cell research
5.)  Cell-phone Bans (e.g., while driving, et cetera)

6.)  Bilingual Education or English-Only Programs (the term “Bilingual Education” does not refer to teaching a second language to English-speaking students, for example French or Spanish in high school. Rather, it refers to teaching non-native English speakers (English Language Learners or ESL students) in their native language, in place of or in addition to English-language instruction. See, for example, Thompson, Ginger. “Where Education and Assimilation Collide.” New York Times 15 March 2009: 1, 21-22.)

7.)  A debatable topic of your own, developed in consultation with the instructor, but not Abortion, the Death Penalty, Animal Experimentation, or any other subject that has been done to death

Your work should take the following form:

Topic: the topic selected from the list provided.
Rationale: why you have chosen to research and write about this particular topic.
Focus: a narrowed form of the subject, and the issue or debate involved.
Opinion: your subjective opinion on the debate or issue.
Thesis: your opinion, worded objectively.

For example:

Topic: Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Note: this is not a real topic choice!)
Rationale: I selected this topic because I work in a critical care facility with many permanently disabled and even comatose patients. Many of the patients' families have to confront this issue regularly, like whether to "pull the plug" as it were, and I am not sure how I feel about it myself..
Focus: Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized for terminally ill patients?
Opinion: I think that assisted suicide should be okay, if the person is already dying anyhow.
Thesis: Voluntary physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for terminally ill patients, to alleviate prolonged physical and emotional suffering and to avoid unnecessary expense.

Annotated Bibliography: Due Tuesday, Oct. 14
You must submit an  annotated preliminary bibliography with a minimum of five to seven sources, correctly cited according to MLA style. This may include up to three primary sources and a minimum of three to five secondary sources; secondary sources must be scholarly criticism or analysis, not summaries, reviews, or “analysis” from sites such as Wikipedia, 123HelpMe, or Gradesaver.com; instead, use the library and the available databases such as EBSCOHost or Lexis-Nexis to locate appropriate sources. In addition to a correct citation for each source, you must include a description or summary of the source, at least one paragraph long, and an explanation of how you foresee incorporating it into your essay. For additional information on Annotated Bibliographies, see the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Preliminary Draft: Due Thursday, Nov. 20
A finished, typed preliminary draft of the completed research essay must be brought to class for evaluation and comments.
Be sure you are familiar with the following before beginning your essays:

   Incorporating Sources (class handout)

   Class Plagiarism Policy (on syllabus)

   General Essay Instructions (on syllabus)

You might also find the following additional resources useful:

   Works Cited page (Instructions & Sample) (Microsoft Word document)

   Avoiding Plagiarism (Houghton-Mifflin web site)

   Practice Incorporating Sources into Your Work (Houghton-Mifflin web site)

   MLA Documentation Style for “Works Cited” (LaGuardia Community College Library web site)

Also, one would think that this would not even need to be stated, but read your sources carefully! Do not rely upon your general impressions based on what you think was said, or on what you read online at Wikipedia, 123HelpMe, or Gradesaver.com. There is no reason for your essays to contain factual errors!

Final Draft: Due Thursday, Dec. 4
The final research paper must be submitted in a research folder, including copies of all sources used. Be sure to print out or photocopy not only the works themselves, but also all secondary sources used, and highlight all relevant passages, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. In addition, you must include all supporting documents as well: your previously submitted Topic, Annotated Bibliography, and Preliminary Draft. Failure to submit a complete research essay, either in a folder according to these instructions, or otherwise bound together (i.e., with a clip or rubber band, at least!) will be grounds for failure on the assignment. In addition, plagiarism, either in whole or in part, will result in automatic failure (a grade of zero) for the assignment, and therefore failure for the course as well.