I am posting here the full instructions for your June 4th in class theme paper.
I have decided that it would advantage you to address a text with which you are more familiar in this assignment rather than asking you to read a new text and then write the paper all in one day. This will save time overall. I hope you see it this way too.
However, I will provide a reading ("The Hallowe'en Party' by Miriam Waddington )for those who would rather do their theme paper on something other than one of our two former texts.
If you were unable to access a novel today and would like to come sign one out Friday(tomorrow) please feel free. The full text of the play is embedded here: The Taming of the Shrew and both texts will be provided to you on the 4th in class. You will write on only 1 of the texts.
The Rubric by which you will be assessed is located under a green label in the In class notes/links tab. Thanks all.
Assignment: Essay:
An Analysis of a Theme
You
will discover your interpretation of your chosen story’s theme by analyzing the
story and presenting evidence for your interpretation. Incorporate quotations
from and paraphrases of the short story to support your ideas, citing all
literary evidence with parenthetical in-text citations in MLA style.
Please
remember that theme is NOT plot; NEITHER
is it the topic or subject of the story.
Your task is to arrive at an understanding of the author’s message by
analyzing the story’s literary elements.
Your thesis will then assert that message, and your body paragraphs will
provide evidence for your understanding of how the message is revealed to the
reader by the author. Think about the
following:
- What is the
dominant conflict, issue or question this story presents?
- How do certain
passages point toward the theme?
- How do literary
elements such as title, dialogue, names, characters, actions, setting,
description, tone, point of view, symbols, etc., direct the reader to the
author’s message?
- How do repetitious
words and/or images point toward the theme? In other words, how does the
author deliver his/her message? How
have you, the reader, been able to determine the theme?
The theme paper will explore your choice of one of
the of the following themes with regard to your choice of either The
Taming of the Shrew or The Power of One:
Love
Revenge
Self-actualization/Self-realization
Grief
Loyalty/Honesty/Integrity
Appearance vs. Reality
Fate/Chance/Destiny
Victimization
Parent/Child or
Sibling
Alienation
Dilemmas of Conscience or Morality
Important Ideas to Remember:
·
Remember
to TAG and PEE.
·
Produce a strong thesis statement that makes clear
which notion/theme you will be exploring.
·
Remember to answer ‘So What?’ What does your chosen
thematic element do for our appreciation of the story in question and its
larger aims?
·
Avoid using the
first person (“I” and “me”) in your paper.
·
Do not use the
phrases “I think” or “I believe.”
·
Do not use the
second person (“you” or “your”).
·
Do not address
the reader directly (“Have you ever wondered? etc...).
·
Do not end your
paper with, “In conclusion...”).
·
This paper
should demonstrate your ability to analyze literature and your ability to write
fluently.
·
Your paper
should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Proofread your paper.
