Category: American literature

Unit 3 readings is the one I chose for this Essay to be about. (shown in images) “thomas Paines common sense”
the secondary reading is https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ObnKZ2tjk-tM_UQP7dzntOqshHTKzThAqXxiL8isJJM/edit#heading=h.7yg6d5672ax9

What are the Learning Goals of this Assignment? (Learning Outcomes)
Paraphrase/summarize a literary work from this module
Observe themes, literary devices, and literary techniques by conducting a close reading of the text
Contextualize the work based on information presented in the video lectures and/or other readings in the module
Curate textual and contextual observations to select at least four to analyze
Analyze observed literary and contextual components by explaining how they relate to the work’s central idea and why that relationship is significant
Develop an original arguable interpretation of the work based on the analysis
Support that interpretation with evidence from the text as elaborated in the analysis
Reflect on the engagement with the CRIT process and the limitations of one’s argument and analysis for different readers/audiences
Why Should I Do This Assignment? (Purpose and Relevance)
Successfully completing this assignment will build skills that will prepare you for future assignments and modules in this course, including:
Close Reading Interpretation & Analysis – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Creative Adaptation
Ethical Decision-Making – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Final Reflective Essay, Creative Adaptation
Metacognition and Critical Reflection – Modules 7-9, Reading Journal 6, Final Exam, Final Reflective Essay, Creative Adaptation
In addition, successfully completing this assignment will cultivate the following habits of mind related to the learning objectives of the course:
Prioritization – Critical and Creative Thinking; Personal Responsibility
Problem-Solving – Critical and Creative Thinking
Written Articulation of Original Ideas – Communication
Knowledge-Making through Observation, Inference, Drawing Connections, and Analysis – Critical and Creative Thinking
Finally, in addition to the midterm CRIT serving as a foundation deepening critical and creative thinking on future modules and assignments, many students find that the text they analyze in the midterm often becomes their favorite text of the course because they have learned it intimately and it begins to inspire questions and curiosity for them in ways that the shallower engagements with readings from the earlier modules may preclude.
What’s the Big Picture Context for this Assignment? (Overview)
For the midterm CRIT, you will move through the Close Reading Interpretive Tool steps we have been using throughout the term in order to perform a close reading of a text of your choosing from the list below.
Write your responses to each step of the Close Reading Interpretive Tool (CRIT) process for your selected text.
Step 1: Paraphrase
Read the passage carefully. In your own words, give a summary of the factual content of the passage—what the text directly states—as it proceeds from beginning to end. What situation is being described here and by whom? What happens in that situation? Respond to this prompt in no more than three complete sentences.
Step 2: Observe
Read the passage again, this time thinking about what it seeks to accomplish. Then, identify and list any potentially significant features of the passage’s form—that is, those textual elements that contribute to the passage’s overall meaning, purpose, or effect. Your list of observations should include specific examples of various kinds of textual elements, such as: descriptive details; word choice; repetition of phrases, sounds, or ideas; imagery or figurative language; syntactical structure; changes in vocabulary, rhythm, or tone; characteristics of the narrative voice or perspective; or other narrative elements. Note that these observations will have to provide the building blocks for your analysis in Step 4. Respond to this prompt with a list of formal features.
Step 3: Contextualize
Think about contexts for the passage. (Contexts are facts or broader circumstances external to a literary work that are important to its production, reception, or understanding; for instance: literary, biographical, political, or historical information.) From your own knowledge of any relevant contextual facts or circumstances, or from the “Additional Information” provided with the text (if available), identify and list any potentially significant contexts for the passage—that is, those contextual frames that contribute to the passage’s overall meaning, purpose, or effect. Note that these contextualizations may provide additional building blocks for your analysis in Step 4. Respond to this prompt with a list of contexts.
Step 4: Analyze
Review the features and contexts that you identified in Steps 2 and 3 as making potentially significant contributions to the passage’s meaning, purpose or effect. Then, select at least four of these textual elements and/or contextual frames and explain how each is in fact significant. These analyses should state clearly and forcefully what each item contributes to your understanding of the passage. Note that these analyses will have to be connected in Step 5, where you will argue for a unified interpretation of the passage as a whole. Respond to this prompt in one to two sentences per feature or context. Each analysis should include the phrase: “ . . . is significant because . . .” In this step, you may also refer back to your hypothesis, as this is the “testing” or “experimentation” stage of your reading. When considering the significance of particular formal elements, for example, consider how each relates to the themes you identified in Step 1.5.
Step 5: Argue
Re-read the work you have produced thus far. Using your observations and analyses in the preceding steps, write one paragraph (at least five sentences) that conveys your interpretation of the passage. State the main thesis of your interpretation—that is, the central claim you are arguing for—and then support that thesis by presenting the evidence you gathered in Steps 1 through 4. Note that your paragraph should integrate and build upon your responses to the Step 4 prompt; your observations and analyses should also add up to an interpretive conclusion about the passage as a whole. Remember that your final argument (analytical thesis) may build upon, revise, or completely disavow your original hypothesis.
Step 6: Reflect
Now that you have advanced an argument, re-read the passage again. Then, answer the following questions: What aspects of the passage do you still find confusing? What elements of the passage does your interpretation neglect or set aside (consider themes not addressed in your reading, for example)? What parts of your argument now appear to you debatable or dubious—that is, what objections could a reasonable person raise to your interpretation of the passage? Keep in mind: no interpretation is perfect or can account for every element of a text. Nonetheless, if these reflections have led you to think that your interpretation is less than compelling, you are free to revise your CRIT exercise.
Please select only one text from this module to analyze, referring to the same text for each step of the CRIT process. Each step is accompanied by detailed instructions as to what is expected. Please remember to stick closely to the text alone as it is presented (with or without accompanying contextual information). There is no need to conduct outside research for the midterm. Instead, contextual observations should come from lecture videos and course texts that provide context to the reading.
What Do I Need to Do For This Assignment? (Details and Requirements)
Select one text from this module (listed below) to perform your midterm close reading. Note the identified contextual period in parentheses next to each text; please use these to refer back to the appropriate lecture videos, notes, and assigned texts in order to provide contextual observations:
Charles Chesnutt, “Po’ Sandy” (Realism/Regionalism)
Kate Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby” (Realism/Regionalism)
William Dean Howells, “Editha” (Realism/Regionalism)
Booker T. Washington, “Atlanta Exposition Address” (Social Construction of Race)
W.E.B. DuBois, “Of Our Spiritual Striving” (Social Construction of Race)
Successful completion of the midterm is defined by earning a minimum of 8 out of 12 points.

Week 4 Creative Writing Assignment
Assignment
Week 4 Creative Writing Assignment:
Write an epilogue to ” The Cask of Amontillado” in which a case against Montresor comes to trial. In your epilogue, provide the prosecuting attorney’s closing argument, reminding the jury of any evidence that proves Montresor’s guilt. Then provide the defense attorney’s closing argument and describe the jury’s final verdict.
OR:
Write an epilogue to ” The Tell-Tale Heart” in which the narrator states his case. Now that he has committed his deed, does he
feel guilty or does he feel
justified in doing what he did? Write this story in your own interpretation of the motive of the
narrator and make your reader believe the support you give
for the narrators reflective mood.
Assignment Requirements:
Your submission must:
• include a minimum of 350 words, written in paragraph form.
• be written in the third-person point of view (academic voice). You may write in the first-person point of view if you want to pretend you are Montresor.
• be double spaced. A title page, running head, and abstract are not required
• be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment on the submission page (click title above). Assignments not submitted in this way may be returned to you ungraded.

Choose one of the short stories we’ve covered so far:
“Rappaccini’s Daughter”
“Bartleby the Scrivener”
Write an analysis focused on what you feel is the most interesting aspect of the work. Explain, with examples and analysis of those examples, why you feel that’s the most significant/interesting/important part of the work. Why is that “thing” necessary for understanding something important about the work?
Be sure to quote passages from the text to back up your claims. AND, analyze those quoted passages with close textual analysis (i.e. explain what specific words, phrases, sounds, metaphors, similes, etc. do to help support the understanding you have of the work.)  Quotations should not constitute more than 30% of your writing. You may paraphrase other passages if you need to. 

Requirements for the research paper:
The paper must make use of at least three academic sources. Abbott can be one of your sources.
The length must be 2,000-2,500 words, not including the list of works cited.
The paper must conform to MLA standards.
Papers that do not fulfill these basic requirements will automatically start with a letter grade of B.
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
I need at least three peer-reviewed sources

Nick says that Gatsby has “extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again.” Is this true? Is Gatsby a romantic figure; does he have a great capacity for hope?
Your essay must have a thesis paragraph with a clear thesis statement, at least three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. 
minimum length: 750 words
Evidence and Support:
Support all claims with specific evidence, including at least 4 quotes from the book.
Formatting:
Double-space academic essays
Do not use the first person (“I think”, “I believe”, “in my opinion”) to state your thesis (your argument, your answer to the essay question)
Write in the present tense
Italicize titles of full-length works
Use an author’s full name the first time you mention him and his last name thereafter
12 point font, 1-inch margins
double-spaced 

Create a PowerPoint presentation on Bury Me In Free Land by Harper with at least 8 slides On one of the slides, have a multiple choice quiz of at least 8 questions with the correct answers provided. 
Summarize and analyze the text
Define and explain the THEME of the text/story and give examples.  Use situations and quotations from the text as evidence. Explain how this theme is relevant to the conflict, the text overall, or a certain character. Give citation using page numbers. Tell us why this THEME is important and what the lesson learned is, how it might be a warning to us in current times, what lesson the author is trying to convey, or what it can reveal about the world/society around us
The Author’s Life: Research more of the author’s life, listing strengths, weaknesses,  writing career, marriage, children, death, ect…  You can use other sources from Google.
Visuals in the PowerPoint. – pictures and graphics, pleasing to the eye, organized, interesting.

In this course thus far, we have seen early American Literature vary drastically from week to week. In this
essay, I ask you to choose one “week” (or, literary movement) that we have studied thus far and, using two
of the assigned readings from that week, compare/contrast how they exemplify (or reject) the ideas of that
particular literary movement.
As a reminder, here are the literary “movements” we have studied thus far that you may pick from.
Whichever you pick, please make sure I know that upfront in your essays: Romanticism.
Likewise, you should also be making larger connections to what this particular literary movement means
to early America, as they attempt to define themselves through literature.
Guidelines
Write an essay of 2,000 words MINIMUM – 2,500 MAX (2,500 being a firm limit, not a goal) answering the above prompt.
Choose at least two of the assigned readings from this course. Both must be from the same unit and compare/contrast the chosen texts in response to the above prompt.
This essay is not long, and does not give a lot of room for much expansion; therefore, theses must be clear, specific, concise and direct.
In all cases, essays should answer with close reference to the chosen texts; you may briefly refer to additional selected readings from the unit to support a point or establish relevant context, but your close analysis needs to focus itself on the two texts chosen.
In addition, please draw from one relevant critical (i.e. secondary) work when setting forth your argument—however, this should only briefly support your argument. Again, your analysis should focus itself on the chosen texts. JSTOR.org is an excellent resource. Likewise – I provide secondary sources each week! Use them!
Please conform with MLA style (in-text citations & Works Cited page; not footnotes & bibliography). 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins. Number your pages with your last name (i.e. “Kale 1” “Kale 2” etc.), either top or bottom. Acceptable grammar and punctuation is required.

Please watch Silence of the Lambs to write this paper. THIS IS NOT A RESEARCH PAPER. Please read the provided documents thoroughly. NO SOURCES NEEDED!

Research Paper on The Origins of American Folklore and what place they hold in contemporary society.