EN283: Essay 1

Essay 1 must be no less than 1800 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.

1. General Instructions

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 readings. 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. In short, 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 23-25 from Act 3, Scene 2 of a play, follow the quotation with (3.2.23-25). There is no need to write “Shakespeare” or “King Lear” or the words “Act,” “Scene,” and “Lines.” Keep it simple; do not fill space with padding. If the passage is from a poem, simply cite the line number(s).
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, “Cordelia said to Lear”; write, “Cordelia says to Lear.” What happens in a work of literature happens in the present—every time we see or 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.

2. Prompts

Choose one of the following.

How might we best describe Chaucer’s Pardoner—hypocrite, performer, cynic, con artist, wounded and suffering, or some combination of these? Be sure to articulate your thesis clearly, and to follow with an argument supported by evidence from The Pardoner’s Tale and, if you wish, the General Prologue.
In what ways is The Nun’s Priest’s Tale an expression of the Nun’s Priest’s personality? How, for example, might the story illuminate our understanding of his relationship with the Prioress?
Discuss the function of one or several of the digressions in Beowulf. In what ways do they complement or echo the main plot?
To what extent, if at all, does the Beowulf poet’s Christian orientation conflict with the pagan world he celebrates? Is his story an unstinting celebration of heroic values, or are those same values ever questioned and found wanting? If there is a conflict, how is it resolved? Or is it resolved?
In Greek comedy, the eiron is a clever character who outwits and triumphs over the boastful but ignorant alazon. Original Greek context aside, the two terms suggest a useful conception of irony: the eiron typically is “in on the joke,” whereas the alazon is not. The eiron perpetrates the irony, the alazon is its victim. Discuss this conception of irony with reference to either The Nun’s Priest’s Tale or The Pardoner’s Tale. You may, if you like, compare Chaucer’s handling of irony in the two tales.
Compare the handling of allegory in The Second Shepherd’s Play and Everyman. In what ways does the entertaining story complement and/or complicate its allegorical “meaning”?
Though tragedy typically has a single plot, King Lear has two. Discuss the ways in which the Gloucester-Edmund-Edgar sub-plot complements the principal plot involving Lear and his daughters.
Shakespeare was as much a poet as playwright. Discuss the ways in which a specific type of imagery is used to enhance some important thematic aspect of King Lear. You could focus on the imagery of light and darkness, the human body, sexuality, or some other set of images appearing frequently throughout the play. Be sure that your observations about the images are organized around a single thesis/argument rather than presented merely as a list of instances.
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. Consult with me first if you plan to do this.