EN 102

Final Essay: Argument About Literature

Fall 2011

“The Things They Carried is as good as any piece of literature can get . . . . It is controlled and wild, deep and rough, perceptive and shrewd.”

--Chicago Sun Times

“The best of these stories—and none is written with less than the sharp edge of honed vision—are memory and prophecy. These tell us not where we were but where we are, and perhaps where we will be.”

--Richard Elder, Los Angeles Times

Using the information that you have gleaned from class discussion, develop an argument about a literary issue from The Things They Carried.

Option 1

It may be about an argument that the book itself presents, such as what O’Brien wants his readers to feel or know about war. Does he glorify war, or does he depict it as brutal and dehumanizing? Does he represent the characters as heroic, or just as ordinary?

Option 2

You may write an argument about your own evaluation of the book, such as whether it is an effective book or whether it should be required reading in high school or college. You might even wish to agree or disagree with what the reviewers say in the passages above or in the preface to the book.Ultimately, how you respond might begin with whether you “like” the book or not.

Whichever approach you adopt, you will want to present your argument for the purpose of either convincing or persuading your audience; you will be convincing them that your interpretation or evaluation is plausible or persuading them that they should (or should not) read the book. Especially important is the support—passages from the novel itself that you offer as evidence for your own interpretation.

For additional insights/perspectives, you may want to visit a list of sites relating to Tim O’Brien.

No later thanThursday,December 15 you will submit this assignment. It will consist of this assignment sheet as a cover, a title page, and two to three pages(500–800 words) of text, including quotations from O’Brien. You do not need a works cited page unless you cite from outside sources.You may turn the assignment in to my office at any time up until noon on the 15th. You may pick up your Research Paper at that time.

If you have any questions, please stop by my office or see me after class.

I will be in my office during exam week between 10 and 12on TWR.