English 102: Composition & Literature II Spring 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010

ESSAY #1: INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE

ESSAY #1: INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE

DUE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010

AT 12:00 NOON EDT

ESSAY TOPIC: Innocence and Experience (pages 79-80)

ESSAY TITLE: ESSAY #1: INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE

ESSAY CONSIDERATIONS:

The contrast between what we thought in our youth and what we have come to know, painfully, as adults stands as an emblem of the passage from innocence to experience. Yet all of us remain, to one degree or another innocent through life, since we never – except with death – stop learning from experience. Looked at in this way, experience is the ceaseless assault life makes on our innocence, moving us to a greater wisdom about ourselves and the world around us.

ESSAY QUESTION (choose from one of the following):

Write an essay in which you argue for or against the proposition that the “truth” Brown discovers during the night in the forest justifies his gloom and withdrawal.

Compare the contrast The Misfit and the grandmother. Do they come to seem more different or more alike over the course of the story? In what ways?

In American culture what you “do” for work is an important part of your adult life and a major component of your identify. Discuss how Sammy rejected the expectations of his parents and Lengel and was able to quit his job despite his awareness of “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.”

ESSAY VALUE: 100 points

ESSAY GUIDELINES: Be sure to follow the guidelines for preparing and submitting your essay. Essay guidelines are available at this link:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/04/essay-guidelines.html

If you have any questions, send me an e-mail at english102wcc@gmail.com, and allow up to 24 hours for a response (although I will most likely get back to you much sooner than that).

ESSAY GUIDELINES

ESSAY GUIDELINES

COMP & LIT II

Paper Guidelines

© Minimum of three (3) primary sources, cited in MLA format; include the list at the end of your essay. Here’s a link with information on how to cite in MLA format:
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/3mla.pdf.

Left-hand corner of paper, single-spaced:

FIRST AND LAST NAME (in all CAPS)

Date Paper Due

Professor Melinda Roberts

Comp & Lit II: Spring 2010

Centered Title (all CAPS and bolded):

“TITLE OF ESSAY"

Submission of Essay:

Essays are to be received on or before 12:00 noon on the due date. You will receive a reply e-mail confirming receipt of your essay within 24 hours. It is strongly suggested that you submit your essay well in advance of the deadline to avoid any computer and/or Internet-related technical snafus.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers that do not meet the paper guidelines (for any reason) will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Papers are due by 12:00 noon on the due date. Late papers will not be accepted and will be given a score of zero (0).

A CHECKLIST FOR WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE (page 77)

Consider the following questions while writing, proofreading, and before submitting your essay:
1.     Is my essay clearly responsive to the assignment?
2.     Does my essay put forward a clearly defined thesis at the outset?
3.     Does each paragraph have an identifiable topic sentence?
4.     Have I marshaled my paragraphs logically and provided appropriate transitions?
5.     Do I support my assertions with evidence?
6.     Have I used direct quotations appropriately, and have I transcribed them accurately?
7.   Do I document the sources of other people’s ideas and the direct quotations I use? Is the documentation in appropriate form?
8.     Have I written syntactically correct sentences (no run-ons and no fragments except by design)?
9.     Have I eliminated as many passive constructions and forms of the verb to be as possible?
10.  Have I avoided long sequences (say, three or more) of prepositional phrases?
11.  Can I feel good about this essay? Does it embody serious thinking in attractive form (free of typos and other errors)? Can I put my name on the essay with pride?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

“The Secretary Chant,” by Marge Piercy

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Monday, April 5, 2010

@ 12:00 Noon EDT

Post a comment assignment: Working 9 to 5, and then some . . .:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/04/working-9-to-5-and-then-some.html

Read "The Secretary Chant" on page 428 of our textbook

or access the text online at: http://wordsworth2.net/poems/secretarychant.htm

Write a First Response to "The Secretary Chant."

Use the following writing prompts: Could you relate to the secretary's feelings about her role at the office? Why is it significant to the poem's meaning that the speak is a woman? What part of the poem affected you most? Why?

Or free-write your own response.

Be sure to provide specific textual details and quotes from the poem to justify and/or explain your response. Remember, a first response is not a summary -- use 2-3 quotes from the poem and tell how the poem affected you.

Guidelines for first response papers are at the following link:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-response-paper-guidelines_6704.html

If you have any questions about the assignment, send me an e-mail at english102wcc@gmail.com, and allow up to 24 hours for a response (although I will most likely get back to you much sooner than that).

Working 9 to 5, and then some . . .

ONLNE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Due Sunday, April 4, 2010

@ 10:00 P.M. EDT

What is your dream job? Are you living the dream now, or working towards it? If you're working towards it, how long do you think it will be before you reach your goal?

Guidelines for "Post a Comment" assignments are at the following link:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/03/post-comment-assignment-guidelines.html

"Bartleby, the Scrivener," by Herman Melville

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

DUE MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2010

@ 12:00 NOON EDT

This week's homework assignment has three parts:

PART 1: Get to Know Bartleby

Read "Bartleby, the Scrivener," by Herman Melville (page 291 of our textbook)

You can also download an online version of the text at: http://www.enotes.com/bartleby-scrivener-text

You can also access an online hypertext with questions and comments to help you better understand the story: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/bartleby/

Here's a link to free audio book MP3 downloads of an audio version of the story:

http://www.thoughtaudio.com/titlelist/TA0049-Bartleby/index.html

Here's a link to a website with easy-to-digest information on the historical context of the story:

http://www.answers.com/topic/bartleby-the-scrivener-a-tale-of-wall-street-story-5

Here's a link to a website with a helpful plot summary:

http://www.answers.com/topic/bartleby-the-scrivener-a-tale-of-wall-street-story-1

Here's a link with insightful information about the characters:

http://www.answers.com/topic/bartleby-the-scrivener-a-tale-of-wall-street-story-2

Here's a link to an extensive, thorough study guide:

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides6/Bartleby.html

PART 2: Write a First Response Paper

Use the following writing prompts: What was your impression of the lawyer? What was your impression of Bartleby? What kinds of emotions did Bartleby evoke in you? Who was most annoying -- the lawyer, or Bartleby? Why? Who did you sympathize with most -- the lawyer, or Bartleby? Why? What aspect of the work affected you most? Why?

Or free-write your own response.

Be sure to provide specific textual details and quotes from the story to justify and/or explain your response to the story. Remember, a first response is not a summary -- use 3-5 quotes from the story and discuss how the story affected you.

Guidelines for first response papers are at the following link:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-response-paper-guidelines_6704.html

PART 3: Post a Comment

Post a comment at Bartleby's World of Walls:

http://english102wcc01.blogspot.com/2010/04/online-homework-assignment-due-sunday.html