ENGLISH ESSAY

English Composition II

Formal Essay #3 Assignment

Purpose: To practice finding and working with outside research.

Prompt:The second paper assignment asked you to think about how one text shapes your reading of another text. This assignment asks you to continue to develop that skill, but to deepen it by bringing in outside research of your own. For your third essay I’d like you to locate at least one outside source (preferably that will serve as the “lens” through which you analyze your chosen work of literature. Explain how the articles shape your interpretation of the work of literature. For example, do they help you to understand the issues that the literature raises? Or, do they show that these issues are more complex than the literature would lead us to believe? Or, do they challenge the argument made in the piece of literature? Or, do they support that argument?

Sources: You must work with The Great Gatsby as your primary source. In addition you must use at least one outside source that you locate on your own. Scholarly articles are the best possible source, but high quality popular sources will be accepted.

Requirements: All students must hand in physical copies by the appropriate due dates. A late first draft will result you not receiving feedback before having to hand in the final draft, and a late final draft will result in a lowering of your grade. Your final draft must be a minimum of 5 typed, doubled spaced pages, with no more than a 1 inch margin. Font should be set to 12pt Times New Roman. All papers should follow MLA guidelines for format and citation. Direct engagement with both of your texts through quotation and citation is an absolute requirement. Failure to meet any of these requirements will have a severely negative impact on your grade. If you have any questions about these requirements do not hesitate to talk to me about them. It is a much better idea to ask me something if you’re unsure about it, then to guess and get it wrong.

Criteria for a successful essay include:

· Clear thesis statement in the introduction (Thesis statements should resemble the lens template we discussed, i.e. “Having read lens x, I now know y about focus z”.)

· Well-developed support for your argument (weave in quotes and analyze them)

· Logical organization with topic sentences and transitions

· Few sentence-level errors (grammar, spelling)

· As I will not be familiar with your outside source it is essential that you adequately explain its argument and contents

First Draft Due: 4/17 Final Draft Due: 4/26