FICTION
APPRECIATION
SPRING
2022
ESSAY
1
NO PLAGIARISM!!
DUE:
Week Eight (Feb
28-Mar 6, through drop-box in
Brightspace page for our class)
LENGTH:
4-5
full pages, double spaced (Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1-inch margins), not
including your Works Cited page. Four full pages (i.e. your conclusion extends
to the bottom of page 4) is an absolute bare minimum for a passing grade. Do not turn in a paper that is less
than 4 full pages (again not including the Works Cited page) or you will likely
fail the assignment. You will
need at least that much space to answer either of the questions below in
significant depth.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS:
Select one of the four options below and write a formal essay in response. All options are meant to move you beyond
lecture, and you should be sure to do so.
These questions neither require nor request outside research. They should be entirely your own work. Your essays should be tightly focused on
answering the specific questions posed and should not devolve into mere plot
summary or a general discussion of one or more stories. Be sure your essay is well structured and
clearly written, and be sure to support all claims with substantial evidence
drawn from the text(s).
You can assume your readers are generally familiar
with the stories, so you should not provide exhaustive summaries
of them or try to say everything there is to say about them. Instead, keep your
focus on the issue under consideration. Start with an introduction that
identifies your specific focus, demonstrates its significance, and (in the last
sentence) presents your thesis statement.
Then, get to analysis. Don’t, in
other words, spend your whole essay summarizing and only get to analysis on the
final page. Start analyzing right from
the beginning.
You have everything you need to answer these
questions, each of which is based on texts we’ve discussed in depth during
class. I want your ideas in this paper, not those of critics (and not my own, cast
back at me). Don’t turn this into a
research assignment, and do not plagiarize by presenting others’ ideas as
though they are your own. Plagiarism
will result in a zero for the assignment and, depending on its severity, failure
for the course.
OPTION 3) We’ve
read two stories by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the
World” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Both these stories were originally published
with the subtitle “A Tale for Children,” and it seems that the author wants his
readers to interpret these stories in light of one another. Try to do so here. Specifically, what do you feel prevents
Pelayo and Elisenda from imagining and pursuing the kinds of real change (i.e.
more than just a change in economic circumstances) that the inhabitants of
Esteban’s village commit themselves to?
As always, provide support for your claims and make sure you move beyond
classroom discussion. Don’t settle for
easy answers here, either.
OPTION 4) Unlike
many authors, Joyce Carol Oates has been more than willing to discuss the
meaning of her own work, and she’s notably claimed that at the end of “Where
Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Connie is revealed to be a hero. This claim of course makes sense if this is
the story of a dangerous figure willing to harm Connie’s family, but how might
we still consider her a “hero” if this is merely or in part a story about a
young person choosing to leave her home?
For this response you can and perhaps should make use of the lyrics to
Bob Dylan’s song (which obviously you’ll need to interpret more fully than I’ve
done in my lecture). Again, stay away from research. You need to interpret the song and story on
your own. I’ve given you a good start on
both in class lecture. The lyrics to
Dylan’s song appear at the end of this handout.
BE SURE YOUR ESSAY
·
demonstrates
careful reading and close analysis of the text(s) under consideration.
·
has
a clear, specific thesis, an interpretive claim that is supported by evidence
from the text. Your thesis should appear
in the last sentence of your introduction as well as in your conclusion. The best theses are sophisticated and
debatable (which thus means the essays should take risks and avoid “playing it
safe”). You may not avoid interpreting
the text by stating its meaning is up to the individual reader. You are being asked here to defend an interpretive
claim.
·
moves
beyond plot summary and even mere plot analysis. To do this you’ll need to refer not just to
what happens in the text (plot) but to the text’s actual words. That means you’ll need to quote selectively. You’ll need to do this to gauge emotional
states, motivation, etc. Don’t pad your
paper with excess quotations; only quote when you want to discuss a feature
(word choice, tone, imagery, emotional content, etc.) of a passage.
·
introduces
the text(s) in the introduction but then gets quickly to the specific issue at
hand. This ensures you move very quickly
beyond plot summary and into analysis and argumentation. Assume your readers are intelligent, have
read the texts, and have a basic understanding of the plot, but you should also
assume they are not too familiar with the specific passages you wish to
discuss.
·
Is
well structured and logically ordered.
·
moves
clearly and substantially beyond classroom discussion. The above questions are specifically geared
to get you to move beyond classroom discussion.
·
is
properly formatted using MLA format throughout.
·
includes
a Works Cited page (for the primary texts) and uses proper in-text
documentation (MLA format).
·
presents only your
own original work.
·
is
relatively free of grammar mistakes and is well structured.
___________________________________________________________________________________
“It’s
All Over Now, Baby Blue”—by Bob Dylan
You
must leave now, take what you need, you think will last
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin’ through
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
Your empty handed armies, are all going home
Your lover who just walked out the door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.