Learning Activity 1: Paper 2 Assignment
Assignment: Choose one text that we’ve read from the Romantic Period: Confessions, by Rousseau; Faust, by Goethe; or "Kubla Khan," by Coleridge. Select one theme (one main idea) that interests you in this text. Analyze how this theme functions in the text and how the theme is shaped by Romanticism. In other words, why does the theme matter to the text itself and to Romanticism?
Your paper must clearly identify its subject (the text and theme about which you are writing), develop a clear and focused analytical thesis, and then argue towards a compelling conclusion through argument (analysis) that makes specific reference to examples from the text and also creates connections with the Romantic period (perhaps in a couple of paragraphs, toward the end of your essay, or woven throughout your essay). You should not conduct outside research for this essay. You may, however, use your textbook and other materials I’ve provided when discussing the Romantic period. (See Learning Activity 4/MLA formatting section for details about how to cite this information.) Identify what it is that appealed to you about a particular text. Was there a particular character or scene? Then, why did that scene matter to you? How is that scene important to the text? What does it say about the author? What does it say about Romanticism?
