Previous essay topics: English 102 spring 2004


Essay 1

Read every word below carefully, more than once, before starting your essay.
Choose one of the following options and respond in an argumentative essay of 750-1000 words.  Raise a central question in the introduction that the rest of the paper strives to answer in the persuasive format.

For details of the physical formatting of your paper on paper—margins, headers, titles, etc.—see simple stuff.  For guidelines on quotation and documentation, see quotation and documentation.  All options require that you offer quotes from the plays, so a works cited page is mandatory.

I encourage you to seek my help with your paper outside of class, of course. If my office hours don't mesh well with your schedule, let me know, and I'll try to make arrangements for other times. I also encourage you to seek help from the Writing Center on any aspect of the essay: arriving at a topic, outlining, developing the draft, revising, and editing. Be sure to take printouts of both this assignment page and the one on persuasive format with you to the Writing Center. If your tutors are uncertain about anything we've covered thus far in the semester, point them to my web page: <http://www.citadel.edu/faculty/rogers>.

Options:
1) Construct an argument debating the issue of whether A Raisin in the Sun is more concerned with racial issues or universal issues, issues that apply to people of all races.  The idea here is to argue that Hansberry's play is more about one set of issues or the other, so draw the lines of argument in your "intro question" clearly and precisely.  Quote the play four or more times in illustrating your assertions—at least one of the quotes should support the opposing viewpoint, and of course you should use quotes to back up your own major points.

2) Pygmalion focuses on issues confronting Shaw's society in early twentieth-century England, a very different world from ours here in the U. S. in 2003.  Construct an argument between the point of view that Pygmalion has little significant relevance to us, Americans in the twenty-first century, and the viewpoint that the play is highly relevant for us despite the differences between Shaw's time and culture and our own.  Give specific examples from "our world" that either show connections between our world and his or demonstrate the difference between our world and that depicted in Pygmalion.  Quote the play at least four times in the course of the argument (opposing views and/or your views, wherever seems appropriate).

3) Shaw's Pygmalion was adapted for film in My Fair Lady, a movie now considered classic.  There are significant differences between the play and the film.  Consider the most notable differences between the play and the movie and build an argument debating whether the film is more successful in delivering Shaw's social criticism or less successful. It will not be enough to argue simply that one version is more entertaining than the other: the key will be to identify what Shaw's specific "message" is and to explain how the movie's alterations of Shaw's plot either strengthen or weaken the delivery of that message.

Caution: This option requires careful and insightful critical thought.  Following the script while viewing the film is a must in identifying the specific changes in plot, and it can be difficult to argue both sides of this issue.  This option is recommended only for the most ambitious, and I strongly urge you to see me in the planning stages or with a draft before turning in the paper.

Hint: The most important sentence in your essay will be the "intro question," because it sets up the lines of argument that the rest of the essay will address.  I encourage you to run your intro question by me before writing past the introductory paragraph.  Once you have a question in mind, feel free to see me during office hours, send email, or call me at home to make sure you start off on the right track. I cannot respond to whole drafts through email, but I will be happy to respond to your specific questions about any particular aspect of the essay.


Essay 2

Read the assignment carefully before starting your essay.

Choose one of the options below and respond in an analytical or argumentative essay of 750-1100 words.  Whichever option you address, your introduction must culminate in a literal central question that the rest of the paper strives to answer.  For topics that call for argument between one point of view and another, structure the argument in persuasive format.

For details on the physical formatting of your paper on paper—margins, headers, spacing, etc.—follow the simple stuff.  For guidelines on quotation and documentation, see the quotes and documentation handout, paying special attention to the mechanics of citing poetry as outlined in QD4.

Note: You must turn in your paper both in hard copy and in electronic format (either on floppy disk or as an email attachment). Failure to meet this requirement will incur a five-point penalty in your grade.

Options:
1) There are stereotypes and cultural expectations applied to each of the sexes which influence how we act as individual men and women.  Consciously or unconsciously, we adhere to these stereotypes and expectations or react against them.

For women, these stereotypes and expectations include the notions that women are intellectually inferior to men; that women should be attractive; that women belong in the home, not in the workplace; that strong, independent women are "bitchy"; that women who acknowledge and act upon their natural sexual desires are morally "loose"; that women are supposed to be "ladylike"—passive, submissive, demure, cooperative, nurturing, polite, etc.  For men, the stereotypes and expectations include the ideas that men are tough and unemotional; that "given the chance, all men would be whores"; that "real men" must be independent and aggressive; that men are not "real men" if they don't have latent cravings for violence and if they don't love football, power tools, and cars with big engines.  In short, the stereotypes generally say that women should be selfless, pretty, and dainty, and that men should be "macho."

These cultural myths and stereotypes are but a few of the many by which our culture imposes its ideals of masculinity and femininity upon us as individuals.  You should consider other significant myths about men and women as they are expressed in the poetry from our syllabus.

Your task for this option is to elaborate what you see as the greatest obstacles stereotypes and cultural expectations pose for each of the sexes (This means you deal with both sexes.).  The central question you must argue is who suffers more, men or women, from the cultural expectations these stereotypes impose upon them: in other words, who has it worse? Men or women?

For each obstacle, you will need to 1) explain what the stereotype or cultural expectation is, and 2) show how the stereotype or cultural expectation poses obstacles or problems for the individual.
You must quote at least four poems that illustrate either the stereotypes or expectations you discuss or the obstacles that these cultural expectations bring about. You are not restricted in your selection of poems, but those assigned for discussion on Monday, February 16th and Wednesday, February 18th are intended for this topic option.

 


2) What is love?  What a question!  Poets and philosophers have been trying to explain what love is for centuries—poets especially.  Not that you should "explain love" in full, but making specific reference to at least three poems (i.e. quoting three poems), construct an essay describing romantic love as you understand it—that is, say what you think love is or what love "feels like" and use the poetry to illustrate your claims.

You should concentrate on presenting your own opinions as the paper's main points, bringing in the poetry only in support of your assertions.  The idea is not to focus primarily on the poetry, but to use the poetry in developing or illustrating your own points just as you would use secondary sources in a research paper.  Consider the poets as experts or authorities on love, and cite their poems as evidence in support of your claims.

If the discussion presents argument between your ideas and those expressed in one or more of the poems, follow the persuasive format.  If the discussion does not present views that you disagree with, you should still structure the essay to raise a literal question in the introduction that the rest of the paper strives to answer—what the literal question ought to be seems fairly obvious . . . but check with me before you get started if you're uncertain about it.

Note: You may use poems not assigned on the syllabus.  If the poems are not included in our Norton text, bring a copy of the poem to peer response and turn it in along with the finished draft. The poems assigned for discussion on Friday, February 6th are intended for this option.

Caution: This topic is not so easy as it might first appear.  Note that the assignment asks you to discuss what love is or is like, not what love should be or should be like.  Also note that the assignment restricts the discussion to romantic love—as opposed to familial or parental love, love between friends, etc.


3) Close behind love, death appears to be a hot topic among poets.  Discuss the depiction of people grieving or dealing with death in three or more poems from our Norton text.  What do the poems say about death or grieving?  What do they have in common?  How do they present their "messages" differently?  How are the messages themselves fundamentally different?  Raise a literal question in the introduction and quote each poem at least twice.

Note: Unlike the first two options, this one requires close attention to the poems themselves as the subject of your discussion. You are not restricted in your selection of poems, but those assigned for discussion on Wednesday, February 11th are intended for this topic option.

4) Section 102.06 only: Some of the poems we've read explore issues involving sex or sexual attraction directly and explicitly—"A Last Confession" (830), "Wayman in Love" (831), "The Outlaw" (882-83), "The Laundromat" (915-16), "Sex without Love" (934), and "Two Songs" (963-64), especially.  Examine the different comments about sexual relations between men and women in at least four poems, quoting each poem at least twice.  For this option, your discussion need not be structured as an argument, but you should raise an appropriate central question in the introduction.  The question you raise might consider sex or sex-related issues in general, beyond the world of the poems, so that you you would discuss the different issues in general terms and bring in the poetry to illustrate your more general claims (as in options 1 and 2 above).  Or you might raise a question more specifically tied to the four poems themselves, narrowing the focus to deal with the poems very closely, not sex or sex-related issues in the world beyond the poems.

Caution: Note that this paper is formal academic writing: keep the discussion serious and keep it "clean."

Note: You may use poems from the Norton Introduction to Literature that are not on our syllabus, but you should let me know what poems you are considering before including them in your paper.

Additional poems: For any of the options listed above, so long as you have my approval in advance you are welcome to use poems from our Norton text that are not on our syllabus.  If you have a strong desire to address a particular option but have difficulty finding poems that fit your ideas on the topic directly, I may be able to point you to other poems that would work well for each topic.

The two most important sentences in your paper will be the "intro question," because it sets up the lines of argument or analysis that the rest of the paper addresses, and the "thesis," which should simply be the fullest and most direct answer to the question raised in the introduction.  I encourage you to run your intro question and thesis sentence by me for approval.  See me during office hours, send email, or call me at home to make sure you're on the right track.

Reminders:

Every topic sentence should answer the intro question directly.
Offer concrete evidence (quotes) in support of each of your major assertions.
Remember that we hear the speaker's voice in poetry, not necessarily the poet's.
Poems are "works," so don't forget the "Works Cited" page.

Call or email if you have questions or problems. 


Essay 3

For details on the physical formatting of your paper on paper—margins, headers, spacing, etc.—see the simple stuff handout.  For guidelines on quotation and documentation, see the quotes and documentation page.

Write an analytical or argumentative research paper on a topic of your own choosing focusing narrowly on some aspect of Death of a Salesman or A Streetcar Named Desire.  Your paper must meet each of the requirements below.  Read these requirements carefully.

750-1200 words in length.

Submission of final draft in both hard copy (printed on paper) and electronic form (on floppy disk or as an email attachment). Failure to meet this requirement will result in a letter-grade penalty.

On the date of peer response, you turn in (on separate paper or via email) the central question your paper strives to answer and a topic sentence outline with the complete topic sentence for each body paragraph and the paper's thesis.

However, your paper should not raise a literal question in the introduction but instead the introduction should culminate in a full and complete answer to the unstated question the body of your paper addresses—i.e. a thesis statement.  As an alternative to presenting a thesis in the introduction, you may have the introduction culminate in a statement of purpose (This paper will explore the issue of. . . .).  If you begin the essay with a statement of purpose, the full and direct answer to the unstated question (thesis) should be presented in the conclusion.

You quote the primary text, either Death of a Salesman or A Streetcar Named Desire, at least five times, following the MLA guidelines set forth in the quotes and documentation handout.  Note: if the topic you choose involves both plays, or one of these plays and another literary work, you must quote both primary sources at least three times.

You do some research and incorporate quotes from at least two sources of legitimate scholarly criticism into the discussion of the play(s).  ("Legitimate" means truly scholarly sources, so items from the popular press, reviews of performances, encyclopedias, and study aids such as Cliff's Notes, SparkNotes, Master Plots, etc., are not acceptable.) No world wide web sources of any sort are valid—only sources available through the Citadel library or its subscription databases are acceptable.

You turn in photocopies or printouts of each secondary source from which you take quotes.  Highlight the quoted passages (on the photocopy of the criticism, not in your paper).

You follow each and every detail of physical formatting and presentation on the Simple stuff handout with thorough precision, and the works cited page is absolutely correct: see QD5 on the quotes and documentation handout.

Very important note: Papers that do not follow the guidelines for MLA-style formal paper formatting and citation and documentation of quotes will automatically be penalized one full letter grade.  These details of presentation and mechanics are simple, and you should have them completely mastered by this time of the semester: do not take them lightly.  If you have questions, email me, call me, or see me during office hours.

Hugely important note: Papers that do not meet the research requirements—at least two secondary sources of literary scholarship or criticism, with photocopied pages attached—will automatically receive failing grades.

The greatest challenge with this assignment is arriving at an appropriate topic.  Basically, any significant theme, motif, issue, technique, or aspect of either play is fair game.  You are by no means restricted to the suggestions below, but here are a few ideas to consider:

Death of a Salesman:

A Streetcar Named Desire: