Read these instructions carefully before proceeding, and check them again before submitting your essay.

Essay 1 must be no less than 1500 words in length, double-spaced, and in Times New Roman 11 pt. font. Avoid unnecessary white space (including between paragraphs) and/or padding. There is no need to begin with your name or mine, the course name/number, the date, etc. Begin simply with a title, followed immediately by your opening paragraph. Failure to adhere to these length and formatting requirements will result automatically in a grade of zero for the assignment. No exceptions. The essay is due by the date and time specified in the course Schedule. No exceptions. Submit the essay as an attachment using EduCat. The file name should consist simply of your last name followed by the number 1, all lower case letters and no spaces. For example, if your name is Letitia Hildegard Smith, the file should be simply smith1.docx.

General Instructions

Your essay must have a title, something brief and pithy that captures in miniature your thesis, the central point of your essay.
Your essay must begin with a clear thesis. This thesis must be an opinion, something requiring an argument. If the thesis is merely factual, it is not a thesis. Ask yourself, “Can my thesis be refuted? Can it be doubted? Is it possible to imagine a contrary point of view?” If the answer is “no,” then the thesis is not a thesis. Discovering and refining a good thesis is not possible by writing a single draft, so be sure to schedule time to revise your paper. Several drafts might be necessary.
You must state your thesis clearly and build a sustained argument supported by evidence from the reading(s). This evidence should be selected judiciously. Do not fill your essay with many references or quotations; a pertinent few will suffice. As a rule, the analysis preceding and/or following a quotation should be at least as long as the quotation itself. Dedicate as much space as possible to your argument, quoting only enough evidence as is necessary to support it.
There is no need to consult secondary sources. The central task here is for you to grapple with and analyze the readings in light of some particular problem or issue. References to specific passages should be clear and simple. For example, if you quote lines 463-75 from The Canterbury Tales, include that reference in parentheses with no other information—i.e., (463-75). There is no need to write “Chaucer” or “The Canterbury Tales.” Keep it simple; do not fill space with padding. Use page numbers if referring to Morrison or Munro.
Do not refer to yourself. Phrases such as “I think” or “I believe” are totally unnecessary and should be avoided. Also, be sure to use the literary present tense. For example, do not write, “Sethe said to Denver”; write, “Sethe says to Denver.” What happens in a work of literature happens in the present—every time we read it. Do not think of it as taking place in the past. Finally, be sure to edit your final draft carefully. Essays riddled with spelling and/or grammar errors will receive a grade of F.

Prompts

Choose one of the following.

How does the conclusion of Beloved expand our understanding of one or more of the novel’s characters?
Discuss the ways in which Sethe’s relationship with another character changes over time, and why the change(s) matter in terms of our understanding of one or both of those characters.
Compare any two of the following characters from Alice Munro’s story collection, Friend of My Youth. Do not choose two characters from the same story.
- Brenda (“Five Points”)
- Almeda (“Meneseteung”)
- Daughter-narrator (“Friend of My Youth”)
- Jarvis Poulter (“Meneseteung”)
- Maria (“Five Points”)
- Flora (“Friend of My Youth”)
- Narrator’s mother (“Friend of My Youth”)
Do not focus on obvious differences (because they’re obvious and therefore not especially interesting). Rather, aim to establish similarities (precisely because they’re not obvious, and therefore are more interesting).
How might we best describe Chaucer’s Pardoner—performer, cynic, con artist, wounded and suffering, some combination of these, or something else? Be creative, but do not argue that he is merely a hypocrite, for that is both obvious and an oversimplification. Be sure to articulate your thesis clearly, and to follow with an argument supported by evidence from The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale and, if you wish, the General Prologue.
In what ways does the Wife of Bath’s tale (the story she tells about the knight and the riddle) complement her Prologue (the story she tells about herself)?
Formulate some other topic or problem, based either on something from the class discussions, or something addressed neither there nor in any of the prompts above. Another option is to alter one of the prompts. In other words, feel free to be creative, to write about any aspect of the reading(s) that you find compelling.