Instructions
Essay Topics (choose one)
Make sure to develop your essay using authors from our course readings from weeks one through four.
1. Explain several of the tensions and conflicts that arose among the earliest settlers in the colonies and show how those tensions and conflicts emerged in early American literary works.
2. Examine some of the Puritan beliefs revealed by the works we have covered that led to tensions, conflicts, and concerns among the colonists.
3. Think about your reaction to this rather surprising statement: It has been suggested that Olaudah Equiano may not have been born in Africa, but in South Carolina. If this were true, does his birthplace change the way we read and evaluate this memoir? Does this possibility affect its viability or reliability as a source on slavery and the slave trade?
4. What if you were alive but “slept through” an event such as the American Revolution (or the events of 9/11, the Vietnam War, or any number of other transformative conflicts)? Discuss the consequences of being apathetic or passive about public and personal life.
5. What two individuals from weeks one through four best illuminate important themes of America during the time period covered? Define the themes you’ll write about, and then discuss what precisely in the writing defines those themes.
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS: Your submissions must be in proper MLA formatting. Essay One requires 1,000 words (plus 10%). Please do not exceed the maximum word count by more than 10% and do not go under. Academic writing requires discipline and the ability to edit one’s thoughts and ideas. Maintaining the word count will help with this skill.
– In the upper left-hand corner of the paper, place your name, the professor’s name, the course name, and the due date for the assignment on consecutive lines.
– Double space the entire paper, starting with the heading. Do not add any extra spaces, and do not use single spacing anywhere in the paper.
– All papers should be in 12 point Times New Roman regular black font.
– Use one-inch margins (usually the default margin settings) top, bottom, left, and right.
– All paragraph indentations should be one tab (one-half inch) from the left margin.
– All work is to be left justified, except for the title and the heading on the Works Cited page, both of which should be centered.
– When referring to works of literature, the source must be quoted or paraphrased to support the writer’s assertions.
– When quoting or paraphrasing lines in literature, follow the proper way to cite short stories, plays, or poems.
– Refer to the Tutorial and Student Studies Center in the APUS library for further information about MLA formatting and style.
You should make use of the online APUS library in searching for sources to support your points. Avoid all uses of Wikipedia (or any encyclopedia or dictionary) and reference guides like SparkNotes. You can access the LITR220 Course Guide and librarian help at http://apus.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=112410&hs=w
Be careful that you do not cut and paste a paper of information from various sources. You may not use previously submitted material (i.e., self-plagiarism, also called double dipping); your ideas are to be new and freshly constructed for this course, this professor, and this session. Also, take great care not to plagiarize; if in doubt, cite the source.
Finally, in advance of submitting your assignment, submit it to Turnitin.com, following the instructor’s procedures as posted in the announcement section during week one of the course.
Note: You have tutor.com available to help you with your writing. You can access it through the Tutorial and Student Studies Center in the APUS library. Make sure you allow sufficient time to receive feedback to help you polish your essay before submission.
