a 6-8 page paper on one of the works that we have read during the course.  You cannot write on the same text that you wrote your midterm on, but are welcome to develop your position paper into a longer paper.  You should develop an argument about one of the works that you then support through textual evidence and close analysis that work.  Unlike the midterm, you have the option of bringing in outside sources like scholarly articles or historical materials.  Please cite sources if you use them.

Some Advice:

1) Remember that an argument is not a statement of fact or an opinion.  It is a claim that others could disagree with and that requires evidence for support.

2) Good arguments tend to arise from good research questions and from a re-reading of the novel.  Be sure to re-read at least relevant parts of the with a question in mind.  Don’t just stay at the level of plot.

3) Avoid the obvious.  If your argument is stating something obvious, then you need to do some more thinking and re-reading.

4) Leave time to revise.  Writers often start with an obvious idea but then develop something more interesting in the process of writing the paper.  Leave yourself time to revise your paper around its most original claims.

I will grade this paper according to the rubric I provided in the course files.    The paper should be double spaced and in a 12 point font.