Essay No. 3 (Spring)

Option 1: A four-page paper.
Option 2: A six-page paper.

You may write on one of the suggested topics below or select a topic of your own.  If you make up your own topic, be sure to run it by me first.  If you write on one of the topics below, you do not need to submit a thesis statement for this paper.

EXTRA CREDIT: Use the verb “to be” in any of its forms (“is,” “was,” “are,” “were,” “being,” etc.) no more than ten times.  Provide a count at the end of your paper.  Your grade will be raised by one notch (e.g., from D+ to C-) if you succeed. 

Suggested topics:

1.  Every three years, the Lit. Hum. syllabus comes up for review: the Humanities faculty collectively considers which "Great Books" to keep, which to toss, and which to add for the next incarnation of Lit. Hum.  Write a stirring and cogent defense of your favorite Lit. Hum. Book (Spring or Fall) in which you make a compelling argument for retaining it on the syllabus.  In justification of your (and its) position, be sure to cite both the intrinsic qualities of the text in question and its relationship to other works on the syllabus (i.e., how it sheds light on them and vice versa).  This is your chance to tie up all the loose ends for yourself and present your vision of what Lit.Hum. is for, what you got out of it, and how the works you read go together, so be as comprehensive (yet concise) as you can!

2.  Which book in Lit. Hum. did you like the least, and to what default in your character do you attribute your dislike (i.e., why didn’t you “get it”)?

3.  View one of the following movies:

  • The Matrix
  • American Beauty
  • Mary Poppins

and discuss it as a narrative in the Western tradition.  You should substantiate your argument by referring to texts we have read in the course.  Cite film dialogue by time, e.g. (1:12:29).


Remember,

  • Number your pages after page one, and staple them together.
  • Proofread and spellcheck.
  • Try to improve on your previous papers; consult Bedford; make this your most eloquent and fabulous essay ever!
  • Do not use any secondary sources; when quoting from the works under discussion, use parenthetical documentation as follows: page number (175), chapter and verse (Matt. 10:26), book/canto/scene and line number [(VII:270) or (V:ii:31)], or elapsed film time (1:12:29).
  • Use the verb “to be” no more than ten times; provide a count at the end of your paper.

This essay is due at noon on Monday, May 6, to my mailbox in 708 Hamilton.

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