This paper will be on some aspect of the short stories, essay, or poems we
have read. Choose one of the following topics for your essay. Be sure to form
a well-thought out thesis, narrower in focus than the topic given. Some of the
topics are expressed as questions (rather, I've given you some specific tasks
to perform), but keep in mind that good essays always seek to solve some problem
or answer some question about the text. You may use parts of essays or other pieces you have already submitted. Note: you must devise a thesis by
limiting the topic.
1. Consider something that has happened to you that you consider very important
in your life as a gendered person. What kind of question(s) did that occurrence
pose? Now choose a character from one of the readings or the author of an essay
you have completed this quarter. Ask that person a question related to what
happened to you. The body of your essay will be the answer the person gives.
This answer must be consistent with his or her personality as revealed in the
work read and with the way the person solves problems. It must also be a formal
essay, not a quick write and not a creative piece (see Ch. 6).
2. Use one of the following suggestions from your text:(you will have
to adapt them for a formal essay):
p.314 #5, #6 or #7
3. Choose three consecutive sentences
in any work we've read for class and develop an essay around the ideas suggested
by those sentences. You will need to create a coherent thesis for your essay.
This essay may be about personal experience, but it needs to have material
and
a message
that
could
apply
to any reader.
Also,
avoid
preaching or moralizing about your topic.
Reminder of paper Format: Drafts must be typed on clean, white, letter-sized paper in 12 pt. type. A rough draft must always accompany an essay. Please keep an extra copy (hard or on disk, USB, DVD, etc.) of each paper that you submit. Please use 1-inch margins, double space, and do not leave an extra space between paragraphs nor use a cover sheet. Put your name, my name, the class, and the date at the top of the first page. For your final portfolio submission, when you submit the final draft, please staple the pages of the final copy together. For questions about how to use quotations and other mechanics, please see the examples I gave you.