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](../283/283schedule.html). No exceptions. Submit the essay
as an attachment using [EduCat](https://educat.nmu.edu/). 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 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.
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.