English 2235 - Spring 2001 Essay 2

English 2235: American Literature II: 1865 to the Present

Spring 2001 / Section 1

Essay #2 / Option #1

Write an essay of 3-4 pages (900-1200 words) in which you do a close reading and analysis of one of the texts we’ve read from the spring break up to the end of the semester—i.e. Elizabeth Bishop through Louise Erdrich. Please do not do research as you write your essay—work closely with the text itself.

Begin by picking a text that you really liked, or one that really intrigued you for some reason. Then, read it again and really start to think about what the author “does” and why he or she did it that way. For example, you might look at Carver’s “Cathedral,” and wonder if the narrator’s character really undergoes any sort of change. Read carefully and take notes on the importance scenes. Decide whether or not you believe that he changes. Speculate! Theorize! Hypothesize! Try to come up with a reason (or several possible reasons) to explain your observation and then look back to the text for “evidence” (scenes, dialogue, description, etc.) to support your views.

You can pick a text and a “line of analysis” on your own, you might use one of the following suggestions, or you might consider one of the following suggestions as a “jumping off point,” leading you to something you might not have thought of initially. Just limit yourself to the authors we’ve read since the spring break.

Analyze the connection between Bishop’s “The Armadillo” and Lowell’s “Skunk Hour”
Compare and contrast the poetry and/or themes of Plath and Sexton.
Compare Ginsberg’s poetry to Sandburg or Whitman’s poetry.
Examine how “beat” poetry is related to “confessional” poetry.
Compare Brooks’ poetry to Hughes’ poetry.
Examine the character of Henry in Berryman’s poems.
Compare your analysis of a Dana poem to the poet’s comments about the poem.
Do a “close reading” and analysis of a poem of your choice.

Explain how My Antonia is really more about Jim Burden than Antonia Shimerda.
Analyze the function of Book III in My Antonia.
Analyze a particular scene or symbol or pattern in My Antonia.
Examine Hurston’s style and use of language.
Examine Porter’s theme, symbolism, or imagery in “Flowering Judas.”
Examine Charlie’s mistakes in “Babylon Revisited.”
Examine the poker game scene in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Examine the function of music in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Examine the manipulation of time in “The Swimmer.”
Examine the development of the narrator in “Cathedral.”
Examine the substance abuses in “Cathedral.”

Essay #2 / Option #2

Write an essay of 3-4 pages (900-1200 words) in which you analyze and evaluate your preferences for literature based on the entire reading list for this course for this semester. Please do not do research as you write your essay—work closely with the texts you select.

To begin, look back over the semester’s reading list and pick 3-4 of your most favorite authors and/or readings. Try to “widen your net” to include authors or readings from at least two (2) different time periods (1865-1914, 1914-1945, and 1945-Present) and from at least two (2) different literary genres (novels, short stories, poems, plays).

Once you have chosen your 3-4 writers and/or their works, examine your choices to see what you can find: What drew you to them? What similarities exist among the texts or authors? What differences exist among the texts or authors? Consider subject matter, characters, narrators, speakers, themes, plots, symbols, writing style, etc. Your goal should be to analyze and evaluate your preferences for literature, to discover what attracts you to literature, to seek for what might not be apparent or obvious at a first glance.

For example, if I were to choose this essay option, I might begin by listing my favorite readings from the semester: Henry James’ Daisy Miller: A Study, Robert Frost’s poetry, Willa Cather’s My Antonia, and Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral.” Next, I would reacquaint myself with the texts, possibly skimming them or rereading selected sections. In doing so, I would begin to make notes to myself about the above questions and any other ideas I might think of. For example, the first observation I might make is that Cather and Frost both deal with rural settings and the people associated with those locales. But, then, as I continue to think about it, Carver’s blue-collar characters may also have some similarities to rural characters. Henry James’ novella seems to be the “odd one out,” but since I like the psychological realism of his writing, I could see if Cather and Carver do the same thing in their fiction, or if there’s any psychological realism in Frost’s poetry. And so on.

This may seem like a very easy, “creative” assignment, but don’t take it lightly. I will evaluate your essay with the same rigor that I would a more straightforward, “academic” essay—i.e. option #1. But, at the same time, be creative, be analytical, make “connections” that others might not or that others might not notice at a first glance. However, this advice is true of all essays—readers (including professors) look for creativity, analytical depth, and clear and coherent presentation of thoughts.