| Choose
one poem, essay, or story from the Lauter & Fitzgerald anthology and
write a 2-page essay that explains what the text means and how its meaning
is constructed. Remember that the construction of meaning involves both
what is in the text - language, images, structure -- and what the reader
brings to it, so you will probably have to write about what you see in
the text. That is, you may have to say "I think" or "I see." That's OK.
Because of the 2-page limit,
you'll need to focus your discussion on what you think is the main idea
in the text. In explaining how the text's meaning is constructed, select
only the aspects of the text that were most important in helping you figure
out what it meant. You do not need to include a standard introduction and
conclusion, but do be sure to name the text and its author in your first
paragraph.
A few guidelines:
-
Please do not summarize the text;
you should assume that I have read it.
-
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced,
using standard font and margins.
-
You may use one of the texts
we have discussed in class, but you will probably not receive as good a
grade, since you're less likely to say something new about it, and there's
a good chance that some of what you write will already have been said in
class.
-
In writing about literary texts,
use the author's full name the first time you mention him or her and the
last name only thereafter.
-
Poem, story, and essay titles
should appear in quotation marks; they should not be underlined or italicized.
If your text is an excerpt from a book, then underline or italicize the
title.
In grading these essays, I will
focus on the following questions:
-
How clearly have you explained
your ideas?
-
How well have you used the text
to support your interpretation?
-
Have you said something about
this text that is interesting or engaging?
-
Do writing difficulties, such
as presentation and editing, make it harder for me to understand the ideas
in your essay?
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