We have been learning about ways to discuss and write about literature. This essay requires that you create an argument about literature (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction) that we have discussed (or not) in class and to support that argument with secondary sources. You are now familiar with how to read each genre with its respective elements that help you analyze the ways literature evokes emotion and attention. In reading and responding to sources, you will be entering a literary conversation that is ongoing. Your essay contributes to that conversation. Here are the specifics: The essay length should be between 5 – 6 pages and contain a minimum of three secondary sources as well as the primary source(s) which shall be from the work in our class or at least from an Author in our class. One of the secondary sources must be scholarly which should come from the college’s library database. Your argument should take the following approach:
A) Social Awareness and Critique: This type of paper argues that the literature is an example of writing that challenges an assumption or seeks to enact change in some way. In this type of paper, you will need to identify an issue that the literature addresses and argue what it does and how it does it. For example, you could argue that the poems address immigration or immigrants bring awareness to the plight of immigrants today. In view of the current national discussions on immigration and connected issues, how might the voices of the poets who write about immigration add to the conversation? Do they challenge or confirm stated beliefs? In considering this prompt, you are thinking about the role of art in our changing world.
Purpose
This essay project provides an opportunity for you to enter a literary conversation about your chosen topic that has been in process over time and engages many voices. With your argument, you become part of that literary conversation. In a successful essay, you will demonstrate the research skills acquired in this unit. Specifically, these include locating sources and categorizing them(tertiary, secondary, primary), vetting sources (knowing the credentials of the writer), and choosing the most effective way to bring outside voices into your essay (summary, paraphrase, quotation) to support your central idea about the literary work. You will also demonstrate your abilities to analyze your chosen work of literature using the elements of the genre that are listed in our text and practiced in class. Your argument brings together your skills as a scholar in research and in analysis.
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