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. Also, please refer to this format if you write another essay.