Monday, November 2, 2015

ESSAY #2 DUE MONDAY NOV23


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!!

This link will also help with MLA questions:

owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01

Refer to the class blog for outside source info: eng215fall2015.blogspot.com

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

The Bluest Eye

 

1)      Define how Pecola’s idea of beauty is influenced by what society tells her. You can reference the idea of blue eyes, the dolls, the role Maureen and any other examples you may find helpful. She is driven to sadness because she cannot achieve many of the qualities that define beauty.

2)      Morrison calls the problem Pecola faces with beauty and society “The Thing”—in this essay explain she meant by this and how it effects her.

3)      Cholly’s rape of Pecola is obviously an upsetting scene. For this essay explain what past events in his life have led him to commit such an act. (Think of his overall feeling of powerlessness).

4)      Explain the living situation of the Breedlove’s and how that effects their lives. The fact that they live in a storefront puts their very unhappy lives on display. How does this effect their lives?

 

  • 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

 

Citation for an article on line:

 

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name of Publication (Year): Pages. Web.

 

Today’s date.

 

Example:

 

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical

 
Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.

Monday, October 5, 2015

ESSAY 1 DUE MON OCT 19TH!!!


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!!

This link will also help with MLA questions:

owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01

Refer to the class blog for outside source info: eng215fall2015.blogspot.com

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

  1. 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 one or two 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 OR compare Gatsby to Charlie from Babylon Revisited.” 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?

6.      Jay Gatsby and Howard Hughes from The Aviator are both men with extreme wealth and clear issues with obsession in their lives. Compare and contrast the two characters. Talk about how obsession ruined their lives. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

  • Your introduction should include:

1)       Title and authors of primary (stories we have read in class) texts

2)       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

 

Notes From 9/28 Class


 

eng215fall2015.blogspot.com

1)      What do you make of the quote: "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had"(1)? Explain how it is important in the first few chapters.

______________________________________________________________________________

2)      What do you think the blue eyes on the billboard (23-4) may mean?

As well as the green light on the end of the dock (22)?

______________________________________________________________________________

3) “Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge,” I thought; “Anything at all....”

Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder (69). What does your group make of this passage? Think in reference to Gatsby, what America was becoming and read the last two sentences above that passage and what it says about race.

______________________________________________________________________________

4) Look at the conversation between Nick and Jordan on page 59 in chapter three. Take a deeper look into that conversation; on the surface they are discussing her driving skills but there is more to it. What you’re your group think and why?

 

-American dream

            How is Gatsby representative of this idea?

Many Americans have a tendency to believe that if they have enough money, they can manipulate time, staying perpetually young, and buy their happiness through materialistic spending.

-The corrupting influence of wealth up against the purity of a dream. What can go wrong?

-What would you say Charlie and Gatsby have in common?