Out-of-class essay 3

ENGL 1101 section 03, 13, and LCT

Choose ONE of the following topics for your third essay. You must generate your own thesis statement in response to the prompt. 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 must be in 3 Ied Monster format.

This essay must incorporate research from ONE secondary source. Appropriate secondary sources include scholarly books, scholarly articles, book reviews published in newspapers, and interviews with the author. The following do not count as appropriate secondary sources: dictionaries, wikipedia, .com and .org websites. (Exception: interviews with the novel’s author or essays by the novel’s author on .com and .org websites are acceptable.) If in doubt, ask.

Your essay should be 1000-1200 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 30% 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:

Rough draft: Friday 13 November. Your draft should be AT LEAST 2 pages long -- i.e. down to the very bottom of the second page. This class period will be used for peer editing. Failure to participate in peer editing with a full length draft will result in a 5% penalty from the final grade of your essay.

Final essay: Monday 16 November. Remember that to meet the requirements for a passing grade, your essay must be AT LEAST 1000 words and include ONE appropriate secondary source.

Essay Prompts:

1. Analyze the ways in which Esme is confined by her family, her society, and/or the asylum workers, AND/OR analyze the ways she empowers herself despite conditions that limit her control.

2. Compare and contrast Esme and Kitty OR Esme and Iris. You may find it helpful to think about some of the following. What drives their behavior? How do they respond to social pressures? What internal contradictions do they reveal?

3. Analyze the ways in which the structure of the novel helps develop the novel’s ideas. For example, why does the novel jump from one narrator to another, or one time period to another, without warning? How do these transitional moments connect ideas that might otherwise seem unconnected?

4. I encourage you to devise your own essay topic on The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. You might also wish to combine two of the above topics in devising your thesis. If you choose this option, you must see me by the week before the first draft is due to discuss your working thesis statement.