Writing assignment 2

Writing Assignment Number 2

FC II/ENC 1102

Length: Roughly 600 to 800 words. (3 or 4 pages)

Please follow MLA format. This is of utmost importance. Follow each and every rule listed. This is not optional.

Turn in one copy of intro paragraph (hard copy) in MLA format on Thursday, February 28. Failure to bring intro to class will result in the loss of ten points from the assignment grade.

The final copy is due Thursday, March 7, upload AND hard copy due.

Please choose one of the following on which to base your paper:

As usual, if you have an idea other than the prompts that interests you; please email your thoughts to me so I can approve them. Your idea must be related to either “Everyday Use,” “Sweat,” or “Float.”

Please choose one of the following on which to base your paper:

1. We have read a few works about the African American and/or Southern experience. Discuss the African-American-southern-oppression-liberation-racial-equality experience as it appears in one of the stories that fall into this category.

You might want to compare Dee and her mother as symbolic of their heritage (“Everyday Use”). You may want to address the idea of liberty or freedom in “Sweat.” You may want to discuss the sub-textual meaning behind the settings in one of the stories. You may want to explore the cost of recognizing reality in “Float.” You might want to develop an idea about the use of eyes in "Everyday Use." The choice is yours. Be specific and keep your thesis tight. I will be looking at your thesis during peer review.

2. Authors use symbolism to strengthen their ideas. Discuss the use of symbolism in one of the short stories we have read for Weeks 5 or 6. Choose one or two skillfully related symbols: washtubs, snake, sneakers, crescent wrench, quilts. No Lists!

3. Discuss the importance of the men on the porch in the short story “Sweat.” What is their significance? Why does the author put them there and have them comment on their observations? What would we as readers be missing if it were not for the men on the porch?

General Guidelines for MLA format:

· Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.

· Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.

· Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.

· Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.

· Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.

· Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

· Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper:

· Do not make a title page for your paper.

· In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.

· Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.

· Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"

· Double space between the title and the first line of the text.

· Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Tips:

· Do not use contractions (don’t, can’t, shouldn’t)

· Stay away from the pronoun I as much as possible. Discuss the characters, not yourself, your feelings or your thoughts. Your thoughts and feelings should shine through in your discussion of the topic.

· Do not make me part of your discussion by using the pronoun you. Avoid sentences like “You can see how much Sammy wants out.” Do not assume anything about the reader. Use the words the reader.

· Do not make unsubstantiated assumptions about anything. Do not start your paper out by saying something like “Life in 1960s was boring.”

· Everything you write in your paper should in some way be substantiating your thesis. Everything.

· Be sure to mention title and author in introduction.