English 4180/5180
Southern Literature
Assignment for Essay 1
Due: Friday, September 18, 5:00 pm.
The topics below define parameters within which you are expected to
shape your own argument. Select one. Be sure to restrict
the
scope of your paper suitably for the assigned length (3-4 typed,
double-spaced
pages [probably leaning toward 4]). Unify the paper with a clear
thesis and support your claims with thorough discussion of evidence
from
the text(s).
<>1.. Using selected elements of the content of the novel to
support your
argument, take a position on the literary and/or historical value of
Gone
with the Wind. Does the novel merit our serious attention, or is
it itself a part of history that should be “gone”?
2. You may "roll your own" topic by identifying an important
question
related to one of texts studied early in the semester and providing a
convincing
answer to the question (or at least a darn good response pointing out
the
subtleties involved) for your readers based on a close analysis
of
the text. I encourage you, however, to discuss your topic with me
in advance.
3. Write your own interpretation of Walker's "Everyday Use" by
responding to an argument made by one of the essayists we
studied:
Davis, Baker and Baker, or Showalter.