The topics listed below are open-ended. Your task is to choose one of these topics and to develop it into a strong, clearly worded, challenging thesis (which you will underline) that announces and frames what your paper will do and how or why it does so. Your argument should be presented in a formal essay format, and have an introduction and a conclusion. Please underline the topic sentences in each of the paragraphs in the body of the paper. Develop your argument by providing evidence from the text, but avoid summarizing the plot. You want to present your reading or interpretation of some aspect or feature of the work, not retell the story.
You will be required to use three to four secondary sources that you have gathered through library research (i.e., a book, chapter in a book, or journal article). The material should be directly relevant to the development of your argument. Do not summarize your sources, but integrate their arguments into your own. You want to use published sources as a stepping stone for your own arguments so that ultimately it is your critical voice, and not those of your secondary sources, that predominates. In fact, you may very well disagree with a particular critic and choose to argue against the critic in question. In either case, I want to hear your opinion about your topic, not have you tell me what another critic has to say about it.
You will also be required to format your essay and document all sources (both primary and secondary) using MLA style. You will find guides to MLA in The Clear Path (the writing guide listed on the course syllabus), as well as in the Ryerson Library and online. Include a list of works cited at the end of your paper, using MLA style. As in any exercise, be it written or oral, you must cite all sources according to MLA format and as stipulated by Ryerson University policy. Failure to document others’ work properly is considered academic misconduct and will be dealt with according to university policy, which stipulates that the MINIMUM penalty for a first offence is a zero for the assignment. Repeat offences can lead to expulsion from the university.
1) Perspective or point of view often colours the way we interpret any story. Compare and contrast the narrative perspective of ANY TWO short stories. What is the authority or limitations of the narrator in relation to the implied author? Does the narrator share the values and attitude of the implied author or the reader? Is the narrator reliable?
2) We have encountered a number of monsters this term, many of whom are human-created. Compare the monstrous characters or the existence of monstrosity in TWO of the following texts: “A Rose for Emily,†Jane Eyre, Heart of Darkness, The Tempest, or Forbidden Planet.
3) Many of the poems discussed this term either adhere to or challenge poetic conventions that are largely patriarchal. Discuss the representation or portrayal of women in TWO or THREE of the poems covered in lecture. Be sure to formulate an argument here. It is not enough to observe HOW women are portrayed; you must also develop a thesis about that portrayal.
