How does the information presented to you influence what you thought you knew? “How has it made you think about life on a deeper level and has it changed your thinking on a certain topic?

Your paper should be written in the following format:
Write a small bio/background on the author for the first paragraph of your paper. This should include any important information or life experiences that your author went through.
Paragraph two needs to include a breakdown of the author’s story/poem. This is where you will want to do some outside research. Explore ideas such as What are important themes or ideas or social issues within the text? What tone does the author portray? How are characters used?
Is there a particular style this work is written in?
“How does the information presented to you influence what you thought you knew? “How has it made you think about life on a deeper level and has it changed your thinking on a certain topic?”
“Is there something or someone in the text that you can make a personal connection to?” “What did you find good about this story/poem and what was not so good?” “What flaws if any do you see in this specific piece of literature?” Do not feel limited to these questions, please add whatever you think is appropriate.

What topics do the poems have in common? How does Whitman develop these shared topics in the poems?

I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman
In this poem, Whitman honors the American work ethic. He describes how the voices of individual citizens come together in unison to represent the pride and joy Americans take in their work. At the same time, this blend of different voices into one is symbolic of American patriotism.
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
For You O Democracy
by Walt Whitman
In this poem, Whitman celebrates America’s infinite possibility as new nation. Whitman weaves imagery of the American landscape with ideals like unity, harmony, and patriotism.
Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,
I will make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon,
I will make divine magnetic lands,
With the love of comrades,
With the life-long love of comrades.
I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America, and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies,
I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks,
By the love of comrades,
By the manly love of comrades.
For you these from me, O Democracy, to serve you ma femme!
For you, for you I am trilling these songs.
Respond to the prompt.
Consider the topics Whitman addresses in the two poems. What topics do the poems have in common? How does Whitman develop these shared topics in the poems? Use evidence from the poems to support your answer.

How does Baldwin connect jazz improvisation to the philosophical and political issue of freedom?

Sonny’s blues

Instructions:

Write a 3-4 page paper on the meaning and function of music in Baldwins Sonnys Blue.

What is the connection between music and cultural or racial identity What does the narrator mean by saying that music has the potential to give us freedom?

How does Baldwin connect jazz improvisation to the philosophical and political issue of freedom?

How do the different instances of music throughout the story relate to each other.

Or, of course, think of another question that interests you.

Determine whether the paper provides solid results, new perspectives, or strategies.List the results in a sentence or two.

Mans inherent evil in lord of the flies

Length: approximately 5 pages, double-spaced

Score: 100 points (assessment grade… counts toward 70% of your final grade)

Per MLA: double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman

Must be submitted through Canvas (linked to Turnitin… do not use Turnitin.com)

Assignment: Write a 5-paragraph essay illustrating your understanding/comprehension of the novel, Lord of the Flies. Each paragraph should be approximately 3/4 of a page in length. If your essay requires an additional paragraph, that is fine. Am looking for gorgeous writing and brilliant ideas. In addition to the text, you are required to bring in an initial hook from outside the novel. Choose one of the two philosophy essays for your initial hook from an outside source. Gave you these articles in class. You are also required to bring in one research article to support your ideas. Gave everyone the research article in class. Thus, your works cited page will contain a minimum of three sources. Your works cited page will be the final page of the assignment (most likely page 6 of your essay).

ORGANIZATION:

1. INTRODUCTION

A Guide to Writing the Literary Analysis Essay (opening paragraph)
I. INTRODUCTION: the first paragraph in your essay. It begins creatively in order to catch your reader’s interest, provides essential background about the literary work, and prepares the reader.The introduction must include the author and title of the work as well as an explanation of the theme to be discussed. Other essential background may include setting, an introduction of main characters, etc. The last sentence in the opening paragraph. Because sometimes sounds tacked on, make special attempts to link it to the sentence that precedes it by building on a key word or idea.

A) Creative Opening/Hook: the beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s interest. Ways of beginning creatively include the following:

1) A startling fact or bit of information.

Example: Nearly two hundred citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692. Eventually nineteen were hanged,and another was pressed to death (Marks 65).

2) A snippet of dialogue between two characters.

Example: “‘It is another thing. You [Frederic Henry] cannot know about it unless you have it.’ ‘Well,’ I said. ‘If I ever get it I will tell you [priest].’” (Hemingway 72). With these words, the priest in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms sends the hero, Frederic, in search of the ambiguous “it” in his life.

3) A meaningful quotation (from the text you are analyzing or another source). Example: “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (3.1.57). This familiar statement expresses the young prince’s moral dilemma in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

4) A universal idea.

Example: The terrifying scenes a soldier experiences on the front probably follow him throughout his life—if he manages to survive the war.

5) A rich, vivid description of the setting.

Example: Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like the Finches, to the Negroes and “white trash” Ewells, who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict.

properly embed your outside hook

B) Statement that provides the subject and overall opinion of your essay. For a literary analysis, your thesis must (1) relate to the theme of the work and (2) suggest how this theme is revealed by the author. A good may also suggest the organization of the paper.

Example: Through Paul’s experience behind the lines at a Russian prisoner of war camp, and especially under bombardment in the trenches, Erich Maria Remarque realistically shows how war dehumanizes a man.

OPENING paragraph… must begin with a hook to engage your reader. Then, tie the hook to the novel. At this point, be sure to include the author’s full name and book title. After you initially identify the author’s full name, you can then refer to him by last name only. In this opening paragraph, you should build toward your statement. Meaning, you should clearly identify your theme/what you intend to argue throughout your paper.

FIRST BODY paragraph… this begins with a topic sentence (what you will write about in the paragraph). In each body paragraph, you are required to present three textual quotes/three textual segments of paraphrase to defend your thesis. In each body paragraph, you are required to demonstrate knowledge of chapter 2 (our textbook). To do this,illustrate your understanding of the novel’s symbolism. You are also required to bring in one quote/one paraphrase from your research article. The paragraph should always tie, and your paper should unite around your central theme (meaning stay on track). The paragraph ends with a transition sentence which creates flow to your next body paragraph.

SECOND BODY paragraph… this begins with a topic sentence (what you will write about in the paragraph). In each body paragraph, you are required to present three textual quotes/three textual segments of paraphrase to defend your thesis. In each body paragraph, you are required to demonstrate knowledge of chapter 2 (our textbook). To do this,illustrate your understanding of the novel’s symbolism. You are also required to bring in one quote/one paraphrase from your research article. The paragraph should always tie, and your paper should unite around your central theme (meaning stay on track). The paragraph ends with a transition sentence which creates flow to your next body paragraph.

THIRD BODY paragraph… this begins with a topic sentence (what you will write about in the paragraph). In each body paragraph, you are required to present three textual quotes/three textual segments of paraphrase to defend your thesis. In each body paragraph, you are required to demonstrate knowledge of chapter 2 (our textbook). To do this, please illustrate your understanding of the work’s use of symbolism. You are also required to bring in one quote/one paraphrase from your research article. The paragraph should always tie, and your paper should unite around your central theme (meaning stay on track). The paragraph ends with a transition sentence which creates flow to your fourth body or concluding paragraph.

OPTIONAL FOURTH BODY paragraph… writing is a personal experience and does not allow for one size for every person. If you have not yet made your argument and need additional space to formulate ideas, please do so. You all are looking for a grade; I am looking for talented writers who are capable of communicating ideas. So, I prefer flexibility in word and paragraph count as all writers approach writing assignments differently. If your essay extends beyond three body paragraphs, please follow the general body paragraph instructions for any subsequent paragraphs.

QUOTES for body paragraphs… 3 quotes from the novel for each body paragraph; 2 quotes from the research article for each of 2 body paragraphs… for a total of 11 plus your opening hook from outside the novel (12 in total are required)

CONCLUDING paragraph… this begins with a topic sentence. In this paragraph, you will conclude your essay and wrap up your ideas. Do not write things such as, “in conclusion” or “in summary”… that is just bad writing. You summarize your ideas by summarizing your ideas NOT by writing “I am going to summarize my ideas… ” If it fits nicely,always recommend bringing in additional textual evidence… Your concluding sentence should reinforce your statement.

Further…

Idea #1

The concluding paragraph of a paper will take the thesis and main points and boil it all down to the essentials the reader needs to know. The paragraph is also a place to connect all the dots of the paper’s points, facts and questions, and how they relate to one another. The goal is not to summarize; rather, the writer’s goal is to sell the entire paper’s usefulness in the concluding paragraph.

List the reasons why the reader should care about or main point of the paper. Use the resulting answers to form the first sentence of the concluding paragraph.

Write one sentence describing how the significant points or main points of the paper all relate to the ststement.

Study the collected research, facts, and quotes. Insert an unused quote or fact that supports the main point.

Determine whether the paper provides solid results,new perspectives, or strategies. List the results in a sentence or two.

Decide if the reader needs to do something specific after reading this information, and provide instructions or questions for the reader to execute or ponder.

Reserve the last line for the most powerful sentence. Arrange the sentences until the paragraph flows smoothly and ends with a satisfying closing.

Idea #2

After writing a long essay, it can sometimes be hard to know how to properly wrap it up. You want to stress your point without repeating yourself. Instead of just writing fluff to quickly end the essay, take the opportunity to justify the other paragraphs within the paper. The conclusion should be memorable so your work doesn’t end on a low point.

If you are done writing an impressive introductory paragraph, you can write something similar to conclude an essay. Similar to an essay outline, here is the conclusion paragraph outline that you should follow for a perfect closing.

Topic Sentence
Also known as a conclusion starter, used to once again and for the last time rephrasing statement. A topic sentence should have the main idea but different wording as compared to the introduction.

Supporting Sentences
In this section, summarize the main arguments discussed in the body paragraphs of the essay. In addition to that, explains how the ideas fit together.

Closing Sentence
The final words of the essay that should connect back to the main idea discussed in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence should provide a sense of closure by clearly making a final point.

How does Hawthorne’s use of paradox affect your understanding of the characters and the plot?

Unit Test Part 2

The American Renaissance

Answer the question using complete sentences.
Total score: 10 points

Refer to “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Journeys in Literature: American Traditions.

Respond to the prompt.

Authors use paradox to present ideas that, on the surface, seem contradictory. But with deeper analysis, readers figure out that the ideas together make sense. In addition, the intentional pairing of opposing ideas can enhance their meaning or even create new, unexpected meaning.

What are some examples of paradox in “The Birthmark”? How does Hawthorne’s use of paradox affect your understanding of the characters and the plot? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Type your answer here.