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In this unit, we have read pieces of literature that show characters experiencing a rite-of-passage or coming-of-age. Coming-of -age is the point when someone becomes an adult, when he or she matures and learns to take responsibility. The rite-of-passage is that moment or event that causes the maturation within the character. These main characters are dynamic characters because they change from the beginning to the end of the literary work. Symbolism is also used within the works to support the theme. Sometimes the outcome for these characters is positive and sometimes negative. The essay should have an introduction with thesis (last sentence of intro paragraph), two body paragraphs with topic sentences (include direct quotes from the primary source in the paragraph about the poem and direct quotes from both the primary and secondary sources in the paragraph about the short story), and a conclusion. Make sure you have used MLA guidelines. Don’t forget to PROOFREAD! Be sure to include direct quotes within the essay that support your opinions. No paragraph should be less than 5 sentences.
Below is an outline for the essay. I strongly suggest you write the essay according to these guidelines. Once you have finished, then go back and check the essay for errors before you submit. Also, look at the sample direct quotes within the module. The tutor information is in Announcements. Introduction: 4 sentences discussing coming of age, maturity, and responsibility in general. Do NOT discuss the literature yet. Discuss what becoming mature means, or what does it mean when someone becomes responsible? Sometimes students tell a little about when they had a rite-of-passage or coming-of-age moment. Just remember not to use second person pronouns and contractions.
Thesis Statement: Use the sample thesis statements for guidance. The thesis should be the last sentence of the Introduction.
The thesis will not include the secondary source, which is used only for support in the second paragraph.
1. In (titles of works), (authors) (illustrate or show) the main characters’ struggle through the coming of age theme.
2. In (titles of works), (authors) use symbolism to (accomplish, develop, illustrate, or strengthen) the coming of age theme.
3. (Authors) develop their characters in (titles of works) through his/her use of symbolism.
If you choose one of the thesis statements referring to symbolism, you MUST focus on how the symbolism and theme are connected. Two Body Paragraphs:
A. Literary Selection: “Those Winter Sundays”
1. Topic Sentence (must refer back to thesis and have a transition): . The topic sentence should tell what your focus is in that paragraph. Be specific. Don’t just say that coming-of-age occurs in the poem. Tell me WHO experiences it. 2. Lead in sentence that gives an example of why the topic sentence is true: This part of the paragraph analyzes what is happening in the poem that is important and crucial to your point. 3. Direct Quote (with author’s last name and line #) that gives evidence of the example: The direct quote that you choose must support what your paragraph is about; it can’t be just some direct quote thrown randomly into the paragraph. Make sure the direct quote flows with the paragraph. The direct quote should be blended into your sentence or have an attributive tag. When using an attributive tag, you will tell who says the quote. 4. Comment: Make a comment about the direct quote or about the example. This is when you explain the importance of the quote. You can also analyze more during this section. 5. Concluding sentence closes the paragraph: This sentence should come to a point. It concludes the paragraph. B. Literary Selection: “Everyday Use”
1. Topic Sentence (must refer back to thesis and have a transition): The topic sentence should refer to “Everyday Use” and be specific to what will be the focus of your paragraph. Tell who experiences the coming-of-age moment.
2. Lead in sentence that gives an example of why the topic sentence is true: This part of the paragraph analyzes what is happening in the short story that is important and crucial to your point. 3. Direct Quote (with author’s last name and pg #) that gives evidence of the example: The direct quote that you choose must support what your paragraph is about; it can’t be just some direct quote thrown randomly into the paragraph. Make sure the direct quote flows with the paragraph. The direct quote should be blended into your sentence or have an attributive tag. When using an attributive tag, you will tell who says the quote. 4. Comment: Make a comment about the direct quote. This is when you explain the importance of the quote. You can also analyze more during this section. 5. Direct Quote from Secondary Source that supports why the topic sentence is true: Choose a direct quote from the article (we found it last week, and you uploaded it) that supports the direction of your paragraph. Be sure to look at the sample quotes from the module to help you do this correctly!
6. Comment: Further discuss the connection between the secondary source direct quote and your opinion of what is happening in the short story. 7. Concluding sentence closes the paragraph: This sentence should come to a point. It concludes the paragraph. Conclusion Paragraph: (5 sentences)
Give your opinion about the literature; tell what you liked and didn’t like. PRIMARY SOURCES
DO NOT HAVE A DROPPED QUOTE: “‘What don’t I understand?’ I wanted to know. ‘Your heritage,’ she said” (Walker 321).
This quote doesn’t have an attributive tag nor is it blended into a sentence, which is incorrect. This quote does serve as an example of an internal quote. Notice that within the quotation marks, there are other single quotation marks. Use single quotation marks for internal direct quotes. BLEND: Dee tells her mother and Maggie that she will “[h]ang them” (Walker 321).
This quote is blended into a sentence. Note that the direct quote begins with the h in brackets; this is because in the original source, the h is capitalized. Use brackets to make any changes to the quote. Notice there is no comma before the direct quote. ATTRIBUTIVE TAG: The narrator states, “Hesitation was no part of her nature” (Walker 315). When a character doesn’t say the direct quote, then the narrator has said it. Use the author’s last name and page number for works that have page numbers. Notice that there is a comma because this is an attributive tag. Blends usually will not have a comma before the direct quote. ATTRIBUTIVE TAG: Once the narrator is a man, he states, “What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?” (Hayden, lines 13-14).
Don’t forget to place between the lines of poetry and to use the correct parenthetical documentation. BLEND: The father brings the “fires” that cause the son’s emotional “cold” to “[splinter], [break]” (Hayden, lines 5,6).
When using direct quotes, you don’t have to use whole sentences or lines. You can use only the words you need. However, the sentence must make sense. Notice the brackets to indicate changes made to the original words. BLEND: The narrator tells the reader the father “put his clothes on in the blueblack cold…[,but] [n]o one ever thanked him” (Hayden, lines 2,5).
Remember when you are skipping lines or words to place ellipses marks where the missing information is. Ellipses marks are in the middle when you leave out something. You will not use them at the beginning or end of a sentence. SECONDARY SOURCE In an article about “Everyday Use,” Sam Whitsitt states, “Quilting can still be taken as a woman’s activity” (445).
The author of the article is stated in the sentence in the attributive tag; therefore, only the page number is given in the parenthetical documentation.
Since Dee does not quilt or understand the importance of the quilts, she is seen as a “transgressor or betrayer” (Whitsitt 445).
In this sentence, the direct quote is blended, so the author’s last name and page number are used. After Mama has her epiphany and gives Maggie the quilts, Nancy Tuten describes their relationship as a “sisterhood between mother and daughter” (qtd. in Whitsitt 446). This is an indirect quote. Within Whitsitt’s article, he quotes several people. When you use one of these direct quotes, you must identify who actually said it in the sentence and then in the parenthetical documentation, give the location of where you found it quoted.
1. Be sure you have a direct quote from each required source (the literature and the article) in the body paragraphs and the secondary source in the appropriate paragraph.
2. Do not have dropped quotes; direct quotes must be blended or have an attributive tag or evidence statement.
3. Be sure you have correct parenthetical documentation. Look at the sample direct quotes in the module.
4. If the direct quote is from the poem, be sure it is punctuated correctly. Remember to use between lines. 5. Be sure you have used PRESENT VERB TENSE to discuss the literature and the article.
6. Be sure you have topic sentences for both body paragraphs. 7.You must have a lead-in sentence and a comment for EACH direct quote. Do not start or end a paragraph with a direct quote.
8. Use the proofreading pages in the first module to help you find other errors, such as don’t use contractions and second person pronouns. Check for run-ons, comma splices, and subject/verb disagreement.
9. The paper should be in Times New Roman 12 and double spaced. 10. The titles of the poem and the short story should be in quotation marks.

Discuss the way gender and gender roles are portrayed by the 1941 film “The Maltese Falcon”. You may focus on
the film’s men, its women, or both (or, indeed, those characters who fail to fit neatly into a
binary conception of gender). Consider first that ways in which the film reinforces stereotypical
gender roles and polices conformity to gender norms. Second, read the film “against the grain”
and consider how it might upset those roles in some way or how it might celebrate ways of doing
gender that deviate from the norm. Be sure to consider more than one character in answering
this question. Include a detailed close reading of at least one specific scene, and demonstrate the
specific ways that elements in the scene tie in to the larger issues you are discussing.
YOU MUST WATCH THE FILM IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY 
The film is free on tubi with ads but if you cannot access the film please let me know.