ENGLISH ESSAYS

English Composition II Formal Essay #4

Prompt:

For this assignment will you will pick any fictional source of your choosing and analyze it in an academic manner. The purpose of the assignment is to test your ability to demonstrate what we’ve been doing throughout the class. Once you’ve chosen your fictional work you should focus in on a single theme or idea in the work and analyze the argument you think your source makes about your subject. You will use scholarly and popular sources to help you examine your ideas.

Source requirements:

· You must have a minimum of five sources.

· You must refer directly to each of these five sources at least once somewhere in your paper. I will be looking for a minimum of one in-text citation for each of your four required sources, and they must also be on your Works Cited page.

· Your first source should be any fictional work of your choosing.

· One of your five sources must be a scholarly article from a peer reviewed academic journal. This source cannot be a book review, a short article (only a few pages), or an editorial from a scholarly journal. It must be a lengthy article with a clear description of the author as an expert in the field, and it must include citations, references, or sources. You can access these types of resources through the library. I can help you determine if the source you find can be considered scholarly.

· Your remaining sources must be at least of a “popular source” level. This refers to reputable weekly periodicals, or chapters from books by experts, or many other resources you can find using the library. If you wish you can use multiple scholarly sources in place of a popular source,

Requirements for organizing and supporting your argument:

· Your introduction should clearly explain the topic of your paper. Remember that I may not be familiar with the subject. Your thesis should clearly state your argument

· Your supporting paragraphs should flow logically and all refer back to your thesis statement. Three to five areas of support would be appropriate. You will need to devote a few paragraphs to each area of support. Make sure you write clear topic sentences and develop smooth transitions.

· Your reader has NOT read any of your sources.

· You must clearly introduce your five sources and help your reader understand why you find these sources reliable and useful.

· You may use “I” and incorporate personal experience if appropriate.

Essay format requirements:

· 6 pages minimum length (there is no maximum length) , word-processed, with 1” margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman, font size 12

· proof-read, spell-checked, with as few grammar errors as possible

· MLA in-text citation in the body of the paper. Every time you quote directly or paraphrase from a source, you must use in-text citation.

· MLA Works Cited page at the end of your paper (does not count toward page requirement). Your Works Cited page should have a minimum of your five required sources.

Presentation:

· Each student will be required to give an introduction of their topic and fictional work to the class which should run about 5 minutes, present a free write question for the class to consider, and then lead a discussion of the responses for about 10 minutes or so

· Your introduction should set up the topic and provide enough information so that someone unfamiliar with it can formulate at least an initial opinion.

· Your free write question should be broad and contentious enough to spark a variety of responses.

· The goal of leading your discussion is for you to play devil’s advocate. You should consider your question from multiple angles and try to be prepared to answer any response you receive.

Presentations: 4/29, 5/1, 5/6, 5/7

First Draft: 5/3

Final Draft Due: 5/13