Essay One

ENG 102

ESSAY #1*** DUE WED FEB18*** For MON/WED CLASS

ESSAY#1 ***DUE THURS FEB 19***For TUES/THURS CLASS

LATE PAPERS DO NOT GET REVISION AND LOSE POINTS

3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN

USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.

Refer to the class blog for outside source info: eng102spring15.blogspot.com

ONLY RELIABLE SOURCES!

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

1.      Sonny described the streets of Harlem as having “…all that hatred and misery and love. It's a wonder it doesn't blow the avenue apart…” Using examples from the text and two outside sources, explain what he meant by that statement.

2.      What statement does “Sonny’s Blues” make about the relationship of art to life or about the relationship of art to suffering? Citing specific examples from the text, write an essay about how Sonny uses art to aid in his suffering.

3.      Explain the effect the environment has on Sonny and his brother (Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s). This would require that find out a bit more about each of the settings through some research (Use the link on the blog about Harlem). Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

4.      Explain the relationship between Jinx in “Live For Today” and the victims that come into the morgue. Why does she seem to relate so well to them? What about her past makes her so sympathetic towards these people? Use examples from the texts along with outside sources (links about identity on blog) to support your thesis.

5.      We talked in class about the reputation of Newark and how it is perceived by others. We also discussed how the morgue in the story could be symbolic for Newark (the forgotten members of society). For this question make the case that the morgue is indeed symbolic of Newark. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

6.      Pick NO MORE THAN THREE characters from the three stories we have read so far and explain how their identity is shaped or explained in their story. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources (links about identity on blog) to support your thesis.

7.      Use examples from The Namesake, “Two Kinds”, The Namesake and from your own experience if it applies (and limit it to one paragraph) to explain the “new American” experience and the challenges of assimilation. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis. You must use at least one of the short stories as an example for this question.

Your Last Name 4

 

Naqvi, Tahira. “Brave We Are.” Exploring Literature. Ed. Frank Madden. 5^th ed. New York:

Longman, 2012. 928-932. Print.

Soloman, S.A. “Live For Today.” New Jersey Noir. New York: Akashic, 2011. 27-39. Print.

Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” Literature: A Portable Handbook. Ed. Gardner, Janet E.3RD ed.

Boston: Bedford, 2013. 382-391. Print.

The Namesake. Dir. Mira Nair. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007. DVD.

*YOU ALSO MUST INCLUDE YOUR TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES

 

 

Does my paper have:

• An introduction that states my thesis, the author or authors of the text I am writing about and the title of those texts AND DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY QUOTES
• Body paragraphs that use outside sources and examples from the text to support my thesis
• A conclusion that restates my thesis and does NOT include quotes from the text or any new information
• A works cited page that follows MLA guidelines as shown in the handout