Response Paper
PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is designed to help you focus on a topic from the literature we have read in Unit 5 and develop an argument about that topic based upon one of the questions provided for you below. You only have to choose one of the questions for this assignment, but you will want to read through all of them to determine which question fits your understanding and knowledge the best, as well as your personal interest in the material. These questions are designed to help you identify in writing the major objectives of Unit 5 and the Content Knowledge associated with the Course Objectives.
SKILLS TO ACQUIRE
This assignment will help you master several important skills necessary to performing writing tasks in college and engaging with ideas and values that are foundational to a well-rounded university education.
Identify and apply a variety of critical approaches to literature
Identify the important literary periods and themes of American Literature from the mid-nineteenth century to the present
Demonstrate knowledge of a diversity of American cultures through the study of literature
Apply various reading strategies to text in order to summarize, synthesize, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the literature
Using MLA style and a variety of sources, write a paper on American literature that shows original thought, research, and an ability to assimilate and synthesize the ideas of others
Enhance technological skills
TASKS TO COMPLETE
• Choose one of the questions below to answer for this assignment. Please remember to copy/paste the question with your response and analysis. You should choose a question that you find interesting and believe you can answer in an engaging manner. You will want to support your response not only with good logic and explanations on your part but also with pertinent passages (short quotations are best) from the texts that pertain to the question you have chosen.
• Your response should be in the form of a typical essay (probably four to six paragraphs), with a short introduction, thesis statement, and supporting paragraphs with a conclusion.
• Your essay should total at least 500 words.
LIST OF QUESTIONS
In what ways does Eliot’s poetic technique in “Love Song” reflect Modernist poetry? What characteristics of Modernism in general do you find in this poem?
Is Frost’s “Mending Wall” as Modern as Eliot’s “Love Song”? Explain. For example, are the Frost poems less fragmented or easier to follow than Eliot’s poem? Are they written in stream of consciousness? What other characteristics of Modernism do you find embedded or missing in Frost’s poems?
What advantage/disadvantage does Fitzgerald gain by using the third-person narrator in Winter Dreams,” rather than having Dexter tell the story in first person? In what ways is thisnarrative technique similar/different to that used by Faulkner in “A Rose for Emily”?
Consider how and why Emily tries to control time and circumstance in “A Rose for Emily.” How does she resist change and why? Does Homer represent change? Consider his job. Consider important symbols in the story, such as her watch. What do these say about her as a character? How has her life been influenced by certain actions and opinions of her father?
Some critics have pointed out that Hurston, as a folklorist, is re-rewriting the Garden of Eden story in “Sweat,” but from a feminist point of view. Do you agree? Why would she do this? What is her purpose? If order is restored at the story’s end, how does that differ from the biblical version?
Langston Hughes’s “Harlem” critiques the American Dream, revealing this idea as an illusion for many in America. Why does Hughes do this in the poem and what techniques does he employ to get his message across? Also, why is it significant that Harlem is not mentioned in the poem? This poem was written many years after the Harlem Renaissance ended; why is this important to understanding the poem?
Like Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” “Dare’s Gift” is a Gothic story with images of female entrapment. Why would a modern writer like Glasgow write a Gothic story? What other characteristics of Gothic literature do you find in the story and how does an examination of these characteristics help us understand the story’s meaning?
Consider the difference between “vision” and “seeing” in “Good Country People.” Whose vision or sight begins and ends the story? Who are the blind characters and who really sees?
The center and one could say the heart of “Sonny’s Blues” is the flashback detailing the murder of the father’s brother. Why is this placed at the center of the story and, aside from
the basic plot, what is so significant about this event in the family history?
What is the significance of the fact that Morrison in “Recitatif” does not tell us the race of the two protagonists?
Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” is complex because it talks not only about the abuse the poet suffers as a result of her father, but because she says, “Every woman adores a Fascist, / The boot in the face, the brute / Brute heart of a brute like you.” In other words, the poet seems to indicate that there is a participation in the brutality she suffers. What do you make of this
and how does it not only describe the poet in particular, but extends to issues of women suffering at the hands of men more generally?
According to Susan Farrell, most readers do not feel sympathy with or identify with Dee in Walker’s “Everyday Use.” But Farrell explains that Dee’s point of view about her heritage
also has validity. Farrell states, “[Dee] offers a view of heritage and a strategy for contemporary African Americans to cope with an oppressive society.” Do you agree?
Consider the qualities of postmodernism provided in the definitions section and in the introduction to Unit 5. How is “The Balloon” exemplary of many of the qualities of postmodernism? What do you think is the significance of writing a story that embodies these qualities? That is, how does it reflect on the nature of living in late twentieth century
America?
The lovers in “Yellow Woman” are in an area where different territories or regions can be seen, yet they do not occupy any of them. Explain the significance of this borderline region, both in terms of the story’s potential meaning but also in terms of Silko’s position as a Native American writer?
This table lists criteria and criteria group name in the first column. The first row lists level names and includes scores if the rubric uses a numeric scoring method.
Criteria
Excellent
20 points
Good
17 points
Acceptable
14 points
Needs improvement
11 points
Unacceptable
8 points
Criterion Score
(LO2) Identify the important literary periods and themes of American Literature from the mid-nineteenth century to the present
The paper clearly examines specific aspects of genres, major writers, and prominent themes in American literature within the assigned literary text(s).
The paper adequately examines specific aspects of genres, major writers, and prominent themes in American literature within the assigned literary text(s).
The paper examines in general terms aspects of genres, major writers, and prominent themes in American literature within the assigned literary text(s).
The paper inadequately examines specific aspects of genres, major writers, and prominent themes in American literature within the assigned literary text(s).
The paper fails to examine specific aspects of genres, major writers, and prominent themes in American literature within the assigned literary text(s).
/ 20
(LO3) Demonstrate knowledge of a diversity of American cultures through the study of literature
The paper successfully demonstrates knowledge of a diversity of American culture literature through the study of literature.
The paper adequately demonstrates knowledge of a diversity of American culture literature through the study of literature.
The paper demonstrates in a basic way demonstrates knowledge of a diversity of American culture literature through the study of literature.
The paper rarely demonstrates knowledge of a diversity of American culture literature through the study of literature.
The paper fails to demonstrate knowledge of a diversity of American culture literature through the study of literature.
/ 20
(LO4) Apply various reading strategies to text in order to summarize, synthesize, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the literature
The content demonstrates the student’s ability to
summarize literary texts accurately in relation to a specific argumentative thesis
interpret the text(s) effectively and with sophistication
infer critical hypotheses appropriately as related to the assigned literary text(s)
The content demonstrates the student’s ability to
summarize literary texts adequately in relation to a specific argumentative thesis
interpret the text(s) effectively and with some sophistication
infer critical hypotheses adequately as related to the assigned literary text(s)
The content demonstrates the student’s ability to
summarize literary texts minimally in relation to a specific argumentative thesis
interpret the text(s) with minimal effectiveness and sophistication
infer critical hypotheses somewhat appropriately as related to the assigned literary text(s))
The content shows that the student has
problems in summarizing literary texts accurately in relation to a specific argumentative thesis
Problems in interpreting the text(s) effectively and with sophistication
problems in inferring critical hypotheses as related to the assigned literary text(s)
The content shows that the student has
severe weaknesses in summarizing literary texts accurately in relation to a specific argumentative thesis
Severe weaknesses in interpreting the text(s) with any effectiveness or sophistication
Severe weaknesses in inferring critical hypotheses as related to the assigned literary text(s)
/ 20
Sentences demonstrate a sophisticated use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102
Sentences demonstrate a sophisticated use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102:
Sentences are grammatically & mechanically correct
Sentences use clear, appropriate, and precise language
Quotations and paraphrases from the literary texts are appropriately introduced and effectively transitioned into the paper using parenthetical citations.
Sentences demonstrate good use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102:
Sentences have few grammatical and mechanical problems
Sentences have few problems in using clear and precise language;
Quotations and paraphrases from the literary texts are adequately introduced and transitioned into the paper using parenthetical citations.
Sentences demonstrate some problems in the use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102:
Sentences have some grammatical and mechanical errors
Sentences have some problems in using clear and precise language
Quotations and paraphrases from the literary texts are at times awkwardly introduced and transitioned into the paper using parenthetical citations.
Sentences demonstrate many problems in the use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102:
Sentences have many grammatical and mechanical problems
Sentences have many problems in using clear and precise language
Quotations and paraphrases from the literary texts are incorrectly introduced and poorly transitioned into the paper using parenthetical citations.
Sentences demonstrate a poor use of standard English as taught in ENGL 1101 and 1102:
Most sentences are grammatically & mechanically incorrect
Sentences fail to use clear and precise language
Quotations and paraphrases from the literary texts are not introduced or transitioned into the paper using parenthetical citations.
/ 20
Use and extend reading, writing, technological, and critical thinking skills developed in ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102
The paper
demonstrates the student’s extensive reading
presents cohesive organizational structure in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
uses transitions effectively so that the argument of the paper flows easily and clearly for the reader.
The paper
demonstrates adequate reading by the student
presents an effective organizational structure in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
uses transitions adequately so that the argument of the paper flows effectively for the reader.
The paper
demonstrates a general level of reading by the student
presents a somewhat cohesive organizational structure in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
uses transitions occasionally so that the argument of the paper does not always flow effectively for the reader.
The paper
demonstrates a weak level of reading by the student
presents a weak organizational structure in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
uses transitions ineffectively so that the argument of the paper does not flow clearly for the reader.
The paper
demonstrates an inadequate level of reading by the student
fails to present a basic organizational structure in the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
fails to use transitions so that the argument of the paper is never presented clearly or effectively for the reader.
/ 20
