Essay 1

ENGL 1102, Spring 2012

Choose ONE of the following topics for your first essay. You will need to narrow your focus and develop a clear, unified thesis statement in response to the question. Your thesis statement will set out the argument of the essay. The rest of the essay must back up the thesis statement. The main body paragraphs should be in 3 Ied Monster format.

Your essay should be 1200-1500 words, typed, double spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins. It must be on paper; I will not accept papers submitted by e-mail. Please include the word count at the end of your essay. The essay is worth 15% of your final grade.

Remember, since this is a literary essay, write in the present tense and do not use “I”, “we”, or “you”.

Due Dates:

Monday Feb. 6 – Thesis statement and 3-4 topic sentences due, typed, on paper. You may revise these as you write your essay, but they should be well thought out work into which you have put considerable time. This will be worth a homework grade.

Wednesday Feb. 8 – Introductory paragraph, with thesis underlined, and one fully fleshed-out body paragraph due, typed, on paper. This will be worth a homework grade.

Monday Feb. 13 – Draft of at least 3 full pages due, on paper. I will not collect these; this will be a peer editing day. Failure to bring in a draft of the appropriate length and participate in peer editing will result in losing the option to revise and resubmit after the paper has been graded.

Wednesday Feb. 15 – Final draft due.

Essay Prompts:

1. Choose one or two of the stories that have been assigned in this class thus far. What traps the central character? At the end of the story, does she begin to free herself or remain trapped? (If you wish, you may stake out a middle ground.)

2. How does Dina try to define herself in the title story, “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”? Who does she want to be? What strategies of self-definition does she employ and what are their consequences?

3. Do the five people living in Ari’s apartment in “Geese” form a genuine community? If not, what prevents them? How does the relationship of the characters impact on the decision Dina makes at the end of the story?

4. You are welcome to develop your own topic about one or two of the stories assigned in class. If you choose this option, see me during office hours by Monday February 6 to discuss whether your topic is appropriate.