Great Works I
Essay 1 (4-5 pages)
Draft due (optional but highly recommended): Friday, March 6
If you’d like feedback, send me a draft (even a partial one or just an intro), and I’ll email back comments and advice. If you miss this deadline, you can still ask questions! I just won’t be able to read your draft.
Extended office hours: Tuesday, March 10, 12-5PM (and by appt., just email)
***Final, graded essay due Thursday,March 12, by midnight
Uploaded to turnitin.com (instructions to come).
You will not have an opportunity to revise graded essays, since we’ll have to be moving on to new assignments, but you are encouraged to submit drafts ahead of time for feedback.
ASSIGNMENT
For this essay, you’ll show how one particular passage of The Odyssey forces you to read the poem differently than you initially expected. Your argument (thesis statement) for this paper should explain what that previous understanding was and what your new (and improved!) understanding is. You should also make clear why that new understanding is important and how it helps us see the poem as a whole in a new light. That new understanding might be controversial! In fact, a strong thesis is usually one that requires some thought, that needs to be backed up to be persuasive.
Your revised understanding may take on a big issue (like Odysseus’ character or the role of the gods in the poem) or a comparatively smaller one (like Telemachus’ treatment of his mother or the role of bard figures within the poem). You should focus most of your attention on your chosen passage—providing a careful, persuasive reading that highlights that passage’s importance—but you may also refer to other moments in the poem. Just make sure you choose those other moments wisely and quote from them judiciously. Avoid referring to too much because this can dilute your ideas, making your essay too general. A strong 4-5 page essay may only refer to 3 particular passages.
This essay, of 4-5 pages, will ask you to build on the same analytical skills you’ve been working on in your blog posts, but in a more sustained, sophisticated way. Think of your argument as a case you’re building about the poem, like a case a lawyer offers to a jury. You’ll need to provide evidence, and you’ll need to logically follow steps to convince your reader that your interpretation is sound and worth considering. If your argument doesn’t need a case to support it, then consider whether your argument is worth making!
Standard formatting, please: 12pt font, standard font (Times New Roman or something else that’s normal!), 1” margins (you may need to change these in Word), no cover sheet necessary.
Tips for writing well:
Start by reading the chapter from They Say/I Say about advancing an argument in a literature paper; you should also consult the thesis statement checklist we discussed in class. My expectations when grading are listed on the grading rubric.
Be as specific as possible. If your argument is that some people might think of Odysseus as a hero, but, actually, he isn’t, then you’ll need to clearly and specifically explain what he isinsteador what heroic qualities he seems to call into question and why. Narrow, for our purposes here, is a good thing.
Use quoted evidence from the text. The details of the poem, the choices Homermakes in his descriptions, are your evidence to build the case in support of your argument. Every claim you make about the text should be backed by evidence and then (crucial step!) analysis of that evidence.
Remember, your reader can’t read your mind! Just because your reading of a certain line might be obvious to you doesn’t mean your reader understands it the same way. Explain what you see as clearly as you can.
Avoid fluff! Avoid bullshit! Avoid padding! Avoid blah blahblahblah. If it bores you when writing, it’ll bore your reader when reading. Use your space wisely, and make your sentences count. Sometimes it’s helpful to write some big, broad generalities to get your juices flowing, but you should still go back through and cut them all out as you revise your paper.
Don’t forget to proofread! Do whatever you need to do to check errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Check the spelling of characters’ names. Have a friend read it over. Read it out loud to yourself. (You’ll catch a lot of typos and sentence fragments that way.)
I highly recommend the Writing Center as a resource at any stage in the paper writing process (from coming up with ideas to revising). However, they are often overbooked, so you’ll want to make an appointment NOW in order to meet before the deadline. (See the course blog for contact info for the WC, SACC, and other resources.) I’m also here to help. Especially if you feel like you’re a weak or unconfident writer, come talk to me.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: do not plagiarize when writing this essay. It insults your intelligence, and it wastes my time. If you use sources (which are not required here), you must cite them appropriately. (Ask me if you need help with this.) Also, when taking notes, be careful not to be sloppy. Always put quotation marks around other people’s words and avoid using cut-and-paste, which can be especially dangerous in this respect. The syllabus outlines the consequences of plagiarism.