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Paper 1 | Paper 2| Grading Criteria |
***Click here to read detailed paper guidelines, how to submit papers properly, and how to avoid plagiarism and access academic sources via the ACC library***
Writing About Literature
Please remember to use literary terms when writing papers in this class. For fiction, this includes: plot, climax, central idea, setting, tone, character (protagonist, antagonist, flat, round, dynamic, static), point of view (first person, second person, and third person objective, omniscient, or limited omniscient), language (allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism, diction, and irony), and conflict (external and internal). When writing about poetry, please remember to use poetic terminology: theme, speaker, lines, stanza, meter, feet, imagery, tone, symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, repetition, and rhythm.
For more detailed information on literary terminology and sample papers, see the handouts in the link below:
Whatever you do, please do not write a paper that resembles a typical ACC English 1302 paper.
Paper #1: 1000-1500 words
CHEATING IS NOT TOLERATED IN THIS CLASS.
For both papers one and two, please follow basic and literary guidelines as discussed above. All papers must include analysis of at least one required work from our reading list. You also need to study the 1301/1302 review where the specifics of grammar, mechanics, and MLA documentation are covered in detail. The final copy must incorporate at least two direct quotes from the text(s) using MLA documentation and include a works cited page.
Remember to submit an outline (and thesis statement) for your paper to me via email two weeks before the paper is due (Thursday). The outline should be no longer than one page and you do not have to use Roman numerals. Also, do not type the outline into a word processing program like Word. Instead, type your outline directly into the message box with no attachments. The purpose of the outline is to look at your thesis statement and the organization of your paper to make sure that you are on the right track. After your outline has been approved, you can begin writing the paper. You will submit the rough draft of the paper to the appropriate discussion board thread (for peer editing/evaluation) by the Thursday of the week the paper is due. For Paper 1, the outline is worth 5 points and the peer editing is worth 5 points. Do not submit the final version to me until your outline has been approved, at least two other students have critiqued your paper (and vice versa), and you have made modifications. If you encounter difficulty getting your classmates to peer edit your paper, you may email your classmates and appeal for assistance (or use Smarthinking.com-- see Announcements in Blackboard for more information).
The final version of your paper (including the works cited) must be submitted as a single Word document file to your instructor via Blackboard email by the date noted on the schedule. Please note in your email (not the attachment), the names of the students who peer edited your paper and vice versa.
If you choose to make corrections (not allowed on the final paper), you can earn back no more than 10 points and your grade cannot exceed 100 percent. For example, if you receive 93 points on your paper, the most you can earn back is a total of seven points. You will need to forward the paper I graded (with the markings) and attach your corrected paper, so that I can make comparisons. When I am regrading your papers, I may find additional errors for which you may be penalized. I am not required to award extra credit, so I do not want to hear any complaints about the number of points you get back. Earning extra credit is a privilege, not a right. Most students earn less than five points back because they fail to make the necessary corrections.
For the first paper, choose one of the topics below (or submit an alternate topic for approval). Note: All papers must include analysis of at least one required work from our reading list.
1. Turn-of-the century America was troubled by many different kinds of conflicts over race, ethnicity, and class. Choose two or three texts and describe how each exemplifies a different one of these conflicts or problems. Possible choices include: "The Gift of the Magi," Ghost Dance Songs, Whitecloud, Bonnin, Washington, African American Folktales, Early Chinese Immigrants, Corridos.
2. Explore the relationship of nature versus industrialization as exemplified in the following 2-3 of the following authors and/or readings, such as: Ghost Dance Songs, Whitecloud, Bonnin, Corridos, Jewett, Frost, Moore.
3. Examine the status of women at the turn of the century in the writings of authors such as Alcott, Jewett, and Chopin.
4. Using Frost’s poetry, discuss the theme of human alienation, the feeling of not being connected to either another individual, a community, nature, one’s self, or one’s destiny.
5. Compare and contrast the use of diction in the works of writers such as Twain and Harris.
6. What is a definition of naturalism? Discuss several examples from our various readings so far that help illustrate the traits of naturalism.
7. Discuss and analyze allusions to the Hebrew and Christian bibles in the works of writers such as: Twain, Porter, and Frost.
8. T. S. Eliot makes several references to ancient works and writers in his poetry, such as: Greek mythology, the Hebrew and Christian bibles, Milton, Shakespeare, and Dante. Discuss Eliot's references and their purpose in achieving greater understanding of his work.
Paper #2 (Final Exam): 1500-2000 words
- All minor assignments MUST be completed before you submit the final exam/paper 2.
- The final is not optional and you must earn 60 pts. or more to pass the course.
- Unlike previous assignments in this class, there is NO one week grace period for the final exam. Please note the due date for the final exam in the schedule--it is approximately one week before the last day of the course.
For both papers one and two, please follow basic and literary guidelines as discussed above. You also need to study the 1301/1302 review where the specifics of grammar, mechanics, and MLA documentation are covered in detail. The final exam must include at least two direct quotes from the stories and three outside sources using MLA documentation. Two of these sources should be scholarly articles that support your thesis (or provide relevant historical or biographical information). Please use library sources (don't Google and use unacceptable sources like Wikipedia and Bookrags). Utilize the ACC Library (or other libraries) to find these sources. To access online literary databases, go to the ACC Library. Next, click "Articles and Research" then go to Articles and More. Finally, click Literature and Literary Criticism to find literary biographies and analyses, as well as critical and scholarly articles. At some point, you will be prompted to type in your ACCeID and password. If you need help, Ask a Librarian.
Remember to submit an outline (and thesis statement) for your paper to me via email two weeks before the paper is due (Thursday). In your outline, list at least one library source that you will be using. The outline should be no longer than one page and you do not have to use Roman numerals. Also, do not type the outline into a word processing program like Word. Instead, type your outline directly into the message box with no attachments. The purpose of the outline is to look at your thesis statement and the organization of your paper to make sure that you are on the right track. After your outline has been approved, you can begin writing the paper. You will submit the rough draft of the paper to the appropriate discussion board thread (for peer editing/evaluation) by the Thursday of the week the paper is due. Do not submit the final version to me until your outline has been approved, at least two other students have critiqued your paper (and vice versa), and you have made modifications. If you encounter difficulty getting your classmates to peer edit your paper, you may email your classmates and appeal for assistance (or use Smarthinking.com-- see Announcements in Blackboard for more information).
The final version of your paper (including the works cited) must be submitted as a single Word document file to your instructor via Blackboard email by the date noted on the schedule. Please note in your email (not the attachment), the names of the students who peer edited your paper and vice versa.
For this paper, choose one of the topics below or suggest another one for approval (you cannot discuss a work or author already addressed in paper 1). Note: All papers must include analysis of at least one required work from our reading list.
Note: The final paper in this course has no grace period and no revisions are allowed. If you email me a rough draft of the paper within two days of the final due date, I will give you GENERAL feedback. When I grade this paper, you will not receive detailed comments like Paper 1. However, I will provide detailed feedback if you email me and set up a face to face appointment to go over your paper in the learning lab.
1. Examine the image of loss in the poetry of poets such as: Frost, Millay, Bishop.
2. Polemical writers in each literary tradition use rhetorical language to move their audiences. Analyze the effectiveness of 2-3 writers such as: Washington, Malcolm X, Twain, MLK.
3. What do contemporary poets have to say about some of the traditional themes of poetry: love, death, loss, or the passing of time? Choose one theme and use the works of 2-3 poets studied in this course to illustrate your points.
4. Choose one of the writers we have read this semester and write an essay showing how his or her life is reflected in one or two specific works.
5. What is an American? Consider at least one writer from early in this literary era who captures a definition of an American (perhaps Twain, Alcott, or Jewett) with later writers who have a different spin on this myth (perhaps Malcolm X, Kingston, Cervantes, or Cisneros). Answer the question using the works of the authors.
6. What one issue or idea best defines the American literary tradition that we have studied (from 1865 until the present)? Was it the industrial revolution and its consequences that we still see manifest today? Or was it the false notion of privilege as displayed in the works of authors like Fitzgerald? Was it the diversity in the writings we have encountered from authors that typifies our "melting pot" society? Was it the realism and even cynicism that grew out of the post-Civil War loss of innocence that had once defined us? In other words, are we still a society of "optimistic Americans"? Or was this era about something else? Make your case by discussing at least three authors from this course (and their writings) as evidence.
7. America is, and perhaps always has been, a proudly capitalistic nation. Using 2-3 authors (and/or their literary works), describe this experience. Use only authors studied in this course.
8. Compare and contrast the use of personification in the works of authors such as Bishop and Moore.
9. Compare and contrast the visions of the city and urban life in authors such as: Langston Hughes or James Baldwin (NY), Saul Bellow (Chicago), T.S. Eliot (London), Williams (New Jersey), and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Paris).
10. Discuss the relationship between traditional or minority cultures and the "mainstream" culture of white America authors such as: Anaya, Kingston, Cisneros, Morrison, Baldwin, Cervantes, Soto, and Hughes.
11. Many writers have described their works in terms of a search for empowerment or self-realization. Discuss the success or failure of 2-3 writers such as (Rich, Bishop, Ginsberg, Brooks, Plath, Kingston, etc.) in achieving these goals.
12. Discuss the use of humor in the works of one or more American authors such as Twain, Hurston, Updike, Barthelme, and Bellow.
13. Compare and contrast the use of language in at least two writers (examples: Bishop and Moore; Baldwin and Bellow; Plath and Rich; Cervantes and Brooks, etc. ).
14. The ancient Greek poet, Sappho, wrote beautiful poetry about her love for another woman. Conduct some research on Sappho and "sapphic" verse, and then write a paper in which you discuss several feminist poets (such as Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Gloria Anzaldua, Sandra Cisneros, etc. ) and discuss how their subject matters and/or style compare to Sappho's.
Optional for Final Exam
If two or more members from the class are interested, they can write this final paper as a team. Email me the names of the students and the topic and I will set up a group page in Blackboard. If you are not interested in writing a paper in a group setting, please submit an individual paper.
Within the group, I will monitor teamwork and expect to see regular postings and participation. If I observe a member who is causing the team difficulty by not participating adequately, not meeting deadlines for tasks, not communicating, etc., then that student will be removed from the team and asked to create a completely different paper on his or her own.
If you choose this option, I will expect to observe several activities in the group's discussion board:
1. One team member needs to send me an email telling me which members of your group have agreed to participate in this assignment. If you want me to set up a separate group folder for this paper, please let me know.
2. Brainstorming and deciding on the topic.
3. Dividing up various responsibilities regarding the paper and setting up deadlines for each responsibility. For example, you might want to decide that one person writes the intro and conclusion, while other members write other sections of the paper. Either way, it is a group effort. Even if one person doesn't do his or her share, you are all still responsible for the final product. (I will deal with the person who is not contributing and you can certainly alert me to that fact as well.)
4. Constructing an outline for the paper and choosing one person to submit the final outline to the instructor when it is due.
5. Putting together a rough draft for the paper that everyone proofreads and comments on no later than one week before the due date.
6. Collaborating and communicating in a respectful manner throughout the process.
If you have any questions or concerns about this option, please do not hesitate to contact me.
American
Lit II Schedule |
Minor
Assignments
| Reading
List |
American
Lit II Class Syllabus
Created by Becky Villarreal Austin Community College 2007