ENGL 1102

Dr. Insenga

Essay Project One Assignment Sheet

Assigned: January 20

Complete, anonymous draft for take-home Peer Review One due: February 10

Completed take-home Peer Review due back in class: February 15

Final Essay Project One packet due: February 24

Conferencing possibilities: January 20 through February 22 during office hours and/or by appointment

Choose one option from the list below. After annotating the texts and completing your brainstorming, compose a 3-4 page argumentative essay, complete with textual evidence and analysis of that evidence. MLA format and documentation applies, and students must submit a Works Cited page, which is not included in the 3-4 page requirement. Students should not utilize secondary sources for this Essay Project.

For this Essay Project, the audience is a group of people who have read the texts but who have not read them in the way that you have. Your task, then, is to convince them of your point of view by referencing specific textual examples and discussing how and why those examples help to prove your argument. Since they’ve read the texts, you will not need to summarize for them.

1. Choose a 10-15 line insignificant passage from Alexie’s novel. An insignificant passage is one that could be taken out of the text and not affect the overall plot. Your task is to prove that this passage is, in fact, significant, that it is worthy of inclusion, and to argue how and why it works in some major way(s) in the novel.

2. William Carlos Williams, a famous poet, wrote the following in the introduction to his book, The Wedge: “A poem is a small (or large) machine made of words. [. . .] Prose may carry a load of ill-defined matters like a ship. But poetry is the machine which drives it, pruned to a perfect economy.” For this option, choose one of Trethewey’s poems, identify no more than three of the “parts,” or poetic elements, that drive the “machine,” and argue how those parts work together to support your interpretation of the poem.

3. Alexie’s novel presents readers with characters that exist on the margins of certain groups in our culture. In particular, we experience Junior’s evolution as he attempts to transcend his social and economic position. For this option, argue how and why Arnold “Junior” Spirit transforms over the course of Alexie’s novel.

4. Choose one of Trethewey’s poems. Identify one central sign or image in the poem, and argue how and why the sign helps readers to understand the poem.

Suggestions for Success:

• Remember to assess your audience carefully and to tap into their experiences and to use the appropriate diction level.
• Begin your work now; follow the steps outlined on your syllabus. I cannot emphasize this piece of advice enough.
• Review the rubric for out-of-class essays found on the class resource page.
• Use your Annotation Log as the place where you begin to write about these topics.
• Strive for clear analysis of evidence, answering how and why, not what.
• Avoid summary; plot does not serve as evidence!