There is no final exam for this class. Instead, you will submit your third essay assignment, a Literary Analysis Essay. For this essay, I am asking you to write a 3-4-page (750-1000 words) essay in which you analyze Claudia Rankine’s book of poetry, Citizen: An American Lyric. You can find the specific prompt below: Prompt Your Literary Analysis Essay should respond to the following question: As a writer, what techniques does Claudia Rankine use to make her poems in Citizen relatable? In order to answer this question, you should identify at least 2-3 different techniques that she uses. Your essay’s thesis statement should clearly name 2 or 3 techniques that Rankine uses in her writing, and it should also indicate HOW those techniques make her poetry relatable. [You may be wondering, what do I mean by ‘techniques’? By using the word ‘techniques,’ I am referring to Rankine’s use of rhetoric, in other words, to the special ways that she uses language in her poems.] If you are feeling stuck in how to answer this question, here are some suggestions that you might begin by considering (the bolded phrases are some “techniques” that Rankine uses): Most of her poems are actually written in prose. Does her use of prose help to make her writing feel more familiar and more approachable (especially to people who don’t usually read poetry)? She doesn’t use specific names in any of the incidents that she describes. How might her decision to withhold names help to make her description of these incidents more relatable? Does the absence of particular names make the incidents seem universal? As if, they could happen to a great number of people living in this country? On the other hand, if she had named specific individuals, it might be easier to dismiss the incidents as unfortunate events that happened to “just” a few people. In other words, you might consider how using general pronouns (such as “you,” “he,” “she”) instead of specific names allows Rankine to comment on how widespread racism is in the United States. She uses anecdotes (short, biographical accounts) and familiar settings (such as the classroom, the neighborhood, etc.) to describe everyday encounters with racism. Her writing directly addresses a “you,” which may make the reader feel that the poems speak directly to him or her Her writing uses emotional language, especially words that describe a person’s inner feelings and sensations These are just a few suggestions to get you thinking. You do not need to pick techniques off this list, but you can if you like. Your job in this essay is to name 2 or 3 techniques that she uses in your thesis statement, and then, in your body paragraphs, you will need to defend your thesis by providing quotations from the book in which she’s using the techniques that you named in the thesis. You will analyze how those techniques (the ones you’re providing examples of with your quotes) work to make her writing more relatable. More specifically, you’ll want to discuss how using those techniques help Rankine to articulate the effects of racism in the United States, and to do so in a way that readers can connect with (emotionally or otherwise). Formatting Requirements The essay must be organized into multiple paragraphs, including: An introductory paragraph, which should introduce the topic you plan to write about provide the name of the author and the title of the work you are analyzing provide a clear thesis statement Your thesis needs to clearly respond to the question in the prompt. It also needs to be: 1-2 sentences long positioned as the very last sentence in your introduction 2 or 3 body paragraphs, which should begin with a clear topic sentence include quotations from Rankine’s poems, which you should analyze in detail (and by “analyze,” I mean you need to explain how the quotations work as evidence in support of your thesis statement) A concluding paragraph, which should Summarize the argument that you’ve made throughout the essay Include any additional ideas or points that are relevant and interesting (further food for thought) but that didn’t fit into the body paragraphs (remember, body paragraphs need to stay very tightly focused) Follow MLA style (This means your essay must be typed, double spaced, use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and include a heading, header, an original title, and a works cited page). Refer back to the lecture on MLA style, if you have any lingering questions about MLA.) The essay needs to be 750-1000 words long (which is approximately 3-4 double-spaced pages) Keep in Mind Every single body paragraph needs to contain quotations from Citizen: An American Lyric. The quotations are the evidence that you are using to prove your thesis. You need to find quotations that **really** support your thesis. If you can’t find the right quotes, then you will need to change your thesis. Do not put random quotations into your body paragraphs! Make sure they actually support your thesis or change your thesis so that it captures the truth of the quotes! This essay should reflect your best writing, which means it should clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors. Take extra care to avoid common writing mistakes, such as wordiness, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences. How can you catch grammatical errors, wordiness, fragments, and run-ons? PROOF-READ! And then PROOF-READ again! Do NOT just type up your essay in one go and submit it. After you are done typing it, walk away from the computer. Take a long break. Come back to it with fresh eyes, and reread the whole thing, searching for errors and typos. Repeat this process at least twice!
