During this week you will write Formal Essay #1, five paragraphs, comparing Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues.” Submit your essay to my BMCC email: Explain how the theme of conformity vs. individualism is developed in both stories, giving examples of how conformity has a positive or harmful effect. Explain what each story tells us about why people conform or rebel. Include a few short quotations from each story, using correct MLA format for quotations and citing page numbers in your text. Begin with a paragraph that names the two stories, along with authors’ names. Be sure to explain your main thesis in the introductory paragraph. In the body paragraphs of your essay, be sure to point out similarities and differences between the two stories. Explain what each author shows us about conformity and individualism, and explain why you prefer to be a conformist or nonconformist. Please write in complete, correct sentences and proofread carefully for errors in spelling, punctuation, and word choice. Remember to write in the present tense when discussing fiction (explain what happens in the story, not what happened). Good luck with this first formal essay assignment! Note on MLA Format for Formal Essay #1:
