3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN
USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.
REFER TO THE EXAMPLE PAPER FOR MLA GUIDELINES!! LOCATED IN CLASS INFORMATION
Refer to the class blog for outside source info:
https://eng215summerone2022.blogspot.com/
Essay One–Due August 8th at 11:59pm
3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN
USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.
REFER TO THE EXAMPLE PAPER FOR MLA GUIDELINES!! LOCATED IN CLASS INFORMATION
Refer to the class blog for outside source info:
https://eng215summerone2022.blogspot.com/
Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.
Illusion vs. reality is something that comes up in a lot of literature. We saw some in The Great Gatsby. Pick one aspect of a character’s life, whether it be from the past or the present, and explain how he/she uses illusions to distort their reality. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.
2. Pick up to three of the many symbols from the novel and describe what it is important. What does this symbol mean in to this particular text? Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.
3. How does Gatsby represent the American dream? What does the novel have to say about the condition of the American dream in the 1920s? In what ways do the themes of dreams, wealth, and time relate to each other in the novel’s exploration of the idea of America?
4. Is Nick a reliable narrator? We do not have much choice but to believe what he says throughout the novel so decide if he is and prove your point. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.
5. Compare and contrast Gatsby and Tom. How are they alike? How are they different? Given the extremely negative light in which Tom is portrayed throughout the novel, why might Daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?
3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN
USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.
USE THE EXAMPLE PAPER HANDOUT FOR MLA GUIDELINES!!
Refer to the class blog for outside source info: https://eng215summerone2022.blogspot.com/
Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.
A Raisin in the Sun
1. Each of the characters in the Younger family has a particular individual dream. One wants to move to a bigger home, one wants to attend medical school, one wants to rise above his conditions though does not necessarily have a plan to do so. Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the functions of dreams in A Raisin in the Sun. Consider whether there was a way to make each individual dream compatible with others’ dreams. If so, explain why the characters did not identify this alternative. Use examples from the texts along with 2 outside sources to support your thesis.
2. As we discussed in class, it can be said that each of the three female characters (Beneatha, Ruth and Mama) represent three women at different spectrums of their lives. Explain how they differ by finding examples in the text. Use examples from the texts along with 2 outside sources to support your thesis.
3. The title of Hansberry’s play makes a direct reference to the Langston Hughes poem, “A Dream Deferred.” “What happens to a dream deferred?” asked Hughes. “Does it shrivel up like a raisin in the sun?” Consider the conclusion of A Raisin in the Sun—or lack of one—and write a persuasive essay on A Raisin in the Sun in which you attempt to convince the reader that Hansberry does or does not answer Hughes’s question through the actions of her play. Explain the significance of the
4. Pick a character and explain why he or she is main character in the play.
• Your introduction should include:
1) Title and authors of primary (stories we have read in class) texts
• Your thesis (Which depends on the question you write about from above)
• Never end a paragraph with a quote.
• Cite outside sources within in your text; if it appears on your works cited page it has to be used in the paper (direct quotes or paraphrasing).
• Always keep in mind: is this quote proving and supporting my thesis? If not, do not use it!
• WITHOUT A WORKS CITED PAGE OR OUTSIDE SOURCES THE
PAPER WILL FAIL
Citing dialogue between two characters–
Early on in the play “A Raisin in the Sun,” Walter explodes when Ruth refuses to
listen to his ideas:
RUTH. Eat your eggs, Walter.
WALTER. (Slams the table and jumps up) –DAMN MY EGGS–DAMN ALL THE
EGGS THAT EVER WAS!
RUTH. Then go to work.
WALTER. (Looking up at her) See–I’m trying to talk to you ‘bout
myself–(Shaking his head with the repetition)–and all you can say is
eat them eggs and go to work. (34)