English 2235 - Spring 2005 Essay - Unassigned Volume C or D Writer

English 2235 / Spring 2005

Essay Assignment

After Exam #2, we won't be quite done with Volumes C and D. There are a lot of writers and texts left over that we just could not cover. For this essay, I want you to pick another writer from Volume C or D (see lists below) who was not assigned for our first two exams, and then read, think, and write about this writer, his/her text(s), and how the text(s) connect(s) to two (2) other writers whom we read for the first two exams. Library and/or internet research is not required or expected or even recommended; I'm much more interested in what you think about the writer and her/his text(s), in your responses, analysis, and synthesis.

Make your pick based on your personal interests. (See the additional web-pages and/or consult with me for suggestions.) Begin by reading the "introductory headnote" in the NAAL about your chosen writer. Then, read through the text(s) a first time, just to get to know what's going on (read at least what's listed below, but of course read more if you want). Next, read through the text(s) a second time, this time making notes about your personal responses -- e.g. How does the text make you feel? What does the text remind you of or make you think about? When you read through the text a third time, "analyze" it -- i.e. make notes about what "features" are important in the text, how the text "works," what the text "does" or what it meant to do. Finally, read through the text a fourth time, this time making notes about how this text "relates to" some of the other writers we've read.

When you begin to plan and write your essay, follow closely the "Paper Structure" outline given below so that you include everything that's necessary -- use the "bullets" as guides to get you thinking and writing. You do not have to include every bullet item, but you do need to include all five major sections. In essence, you will begin by briefly introducing your chosen writer to your readers (your peers in this course) and summarizing his/her text(s). Then, you will want to share some of your important personal responses and discoveries that you made when you were analyzing the text(s). Next, you will want to establish how this writer is similar to and different from two (2) other writers we read. Finally, you will want to wrap up your essay by reflecting on your reading of this writer and possibly recommending to others whether or not to read him or her.

Unassigned Writers from Volume C (for more information about these writers, click here):

Mark Twain -- read all three short works: "The Notorious," "The Art," and "How to Tell"
Bret Harte -- read "The Outcasts"
Constance Fenimore Woolson -- read "Miss Grief"
Ambrose Bierce -- read "An Occurrence"
Joel Chandler Harris -- read both "The Wonderful" and "Mr. Rabbit"
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman -- read either "A New England Nun" or "The Revolt"
Booker T. Washington -- read at least 1 of the 4 chapters
Charles Alexander Eastman -- read at least 1 of the 2 chapters
Hamlin Garland -- read "Under"
Abraham Cahan -- read "A Sweat"
Charlotte Perkins Gilman -- read "The Yellow"
Edith Wharton -- read "Souls"
Sui Sin Far -- read "Mrs. Spring"
W.E.B. DuBois -- read at least 1 of the 3 chapters
Stephen Crane -- read at least 1 of the 4 stories
Theodore Dreiser -- read "Old Rogaum"
Zitkala Sa -- read at least 1 of the 3 sections

Unassigned Writers from Volume D (for more information about these writers, click here):

Black Elk & John G. Neihardt -- read "The Great Vision"
Edgar Lee Masters -- read at least 5 of the 6 poems
Edwin Arlington Robinson -- read at least 5 of the 7 poems
Amy Lowell -- read at least 5 of the 8 poems
Gertrude Stein -- read 1 of the 2 sections
Susan Glaspell -- read "Trifles"
Sherwood Anderson -- read at least 1 of the 3 stories
Carl Sandburg -- read at least 5 of the 7 poems
Wallace Stevens -- read at least 5 of the 17 poems
Anzia Yezierska -- read "The Lost"
Ezra Pound -- read at least 5 of the 12 poems
H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) -- read either the 6 short poems or the 1 long poem
Robinson Jeffers -- read at least 5 of the 7 poems
Marianne Moore -- read at least 5 of the 12 poems
T.S. Eliot -- I'd recommend "The Love Song," "Tradition," and "Journey"
John Crowe Ransom -- read all 5 poems
Claude McKay -- read at least 5 of the 10 poems
Edna St. Vincent Millay -- read at least 5 of the 8 poems
Dorothy Parker -- read all
Genevieve Taggard -- at least 5 of the 6 poems
E.E. Cummings -- read at least 5 of the 14 poems
Jean Toomer -- read all
F. Scott Fitzgerald -- read either "Winter" or "Babylon"
John Dos Passos -- read at least the first 5 pages of his writing
Louise Bogan -- read at least 5 of the 7 poems
Hart Crane -- read the first 5 pages of his poetry
Ernest Hemingway -- read "The Snows"
Thomas Wolfe -- read "The Lost"
Sterling A. Brown -- read all 5 poems
John Steinbeck -- read all
Countee Cullen -- read all 5 poems
Richard Wright -- read "The Man"
Carlos Bulosan -- read all

Writers We Read:

Sarah Orne Jewett
Charles W. Chesnutt
Henry James
Kate Chopin
John M. Oskison
Jack London
Willa Cather
Robert Frost
William Faulkner
William Carlos Williams
Katherine Anne Porter
Muriel Rukeyser
Zora Neale Hurston
Langston Hughes
D'Arcy McNickle

Paper Structure:

1.) Introduction

Introduce the author and title(s) of the text(s) you have chosen.
Perhaps provide a brief sketch of the writer's biography.
Perhaps provide a brief context for the text(s).
Perhaps explain why you chose this particular writer and/or the text(s).
Perhaps "forecast" the main ideas of your reaction, analysis, and synthesis.

2.) Summary of the text(s)

What is the text about? What is the "overall" theme, message, argument, purpose, etc.? What are the main ideas or sections? What is the "intended effect"?

3.) React to and analyze the writer and text(s) as you see them

What did you find interesting and/or unusual about the texts?
What are the themes and/or arguments in the texts?
What is the form and structure of the texts?
How would you describe the style and tone of the texts?
Is there any special symbolism and/or imagery in the texts?
Does the text fully achieve its purpose and/or intended effect? How? Or, why or why not?

4.) Synthesis: Connect the writer/texts to two other (assigned) writers through comparison and contrast

Obviously, pick writers that have some obvious reasons for comparison and contrast
How, specifically, are they similar, and to what extent?
More importantly, how are they different, how do they "diverge," and why?
Consider themes, arguments, forms, structures, styles, tones, symbols, imagery, literary movements or periods, etc.

5.) Conclusion and Evaluation

What is the value of reading this writer, if any?
What did you gain from this exploration?
Would you recommend this writer and text(s) to others? Why or why not?

Samples (from Fall 2004; from NAAL Volume A):

Sample #1 -- Connecting Royall Tyler to Susanna Rowson and Samuel Sewall -- click here

Sample #2 -- Connecting Judith Sargent Murray to Anne Bradstreet and Benjamin Franklin -- click here

Sample #3 -- Connecting James Grainger to Philip Freneau and Sarah Wentworth Morton -- click here

Evaluation Criteria: Your essay will be evaluated based on (1) the clarity of the main ideas, (2) the strength and clarity of the explanations and evidence, (3) the use of the structure provided, and (4) the use of language -- reasonable “correctness” in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. In other words, your ideas and how you present and explain them are most important; “grammar” is only taken into account to the degree that it detracts from your presentation. A final word of warning: you are able to use the NAAL and notes as you write your essay, so be careful that you are accurate with your use of authors’ names, quotations, and factual details from the texts.

Formatting Requirements: Your essay should be at least four (4) pages long but no longer than six (6) pages – double-spaced and word-processed – with 1.0” margins, and a 12-point “normal” font (e.g. Times New Roman or Arial). No title page is needed: simply put your name, the course, my name, and the date in the upper-left-hand corner of the first page; put a page number on all subsequent pages.

Rough Draft (Peer Review) Due Date: ______________________________ (four copies of a complete draft)

Final Draft Due Date: ______________________________