Essay 3—English 1A Dr. Leiby Spring 2024
For Essay 3, you will write a paper that is at least 3-4 typed pages, double-spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font (a minimum of 1,000 words) on ONE of the following writing prompts:
1 Analyze the imagery and figurative language (such as description, symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) in N. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain, examining how the imagery and figurative language are used to express the values and beliefs of the Kiowa tribe as they relate to one central theme.
2 Analyze the imagery and figurative language (such as description, symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) in Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles,” examining how the imagery and figurative language are used to make a point or argument about a theme.
3 Analyze the imagery and figurative language (such as description, symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) in both Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” and the chapter “Graduation” from her autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, examining how the imagery and figurative language are used to make a point or argument about a common theme.
4 Analyze the similar imagery and figurative language (description, symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification, etc., such as the bird, the cage, singing, and so forth) in both Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” and Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles,” examining how the similar imagery and figurative language are used to make a point or argument about a common theme.
5 Extra Credit Option: Analyze the imagery and figurative language (such as description, symbolism, metaphors, similes, personification, etc.) in both Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird” and her autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (including discussion of several chapters, not just “Graduation,” as well as the book’s dedication to her son), examining how the imagery and figurative language are used to make a point or argument about a common theme.
Thesis
Your essay should utilize your analysis of the literary text or texts to demonstrate a point that the literary text or texts are making about a theme, such as nature, gender roles, oppression, freedom, self-esteem, solidarity, voice/expression, and so forth. For example, your thesis might be
• that the imagery and figurative language in N. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain express the Kiowa tribe’s appreciation and respect for nature;
• or that Susan Glaspell’s play uses imagery and figurative language to demonstrate the negative consequences sexist oppression had on women in the early twentieth century;
• or that the “Graduation” chapter from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and her poem “Caged Bird” utilize imagery and figurative language to show the importance of resisting external and internalized oppression;
• or that through their usage of similar imagery and figurative language, Angelou’s poem and Glaspell’s play reveal the damaging effect a lack of freedom has on people’s self-esteem.
Remember, in your essay you must make a clear point about a theme as you provide specific examples and explanations/interpretations of the literary works’ use of imagery and figurative language, so that your essay is unified and does more than merely list examples.
Content and Structure
• Begin the essay with an introductory paragraph that provides a brief overviewof the author(s) and literary text(s) and theme, and concludes with the thesis statement. For the body paragraphs of the essay, you should not only quote and paraphrase, but set up your examples as well as explain them (use the “sandwich method”). Each body paragraph should begin with a solid topic sentence linked to your thesis, meaning each topic sentence should discuss imagery and/or figurative language and the point made about the theme. End the essay with a conclusion paragraph that reemphasizes the thesis statement and discusses the significance of the pointmade about the theme.
• DO NOT begin paragraphs with paraphrases, summaries, or quotations from the text(s). Instead, start with a topic sentence on how figurative language and imagery are used to make a point about the theme, and then provide support for it with sandwiched quotations and paraphrases. Also, DO NOT end paragraphs with quoted material; end with your own words.
• Remember that brackets and ellipses can be employed to make quoted material flowwith your prose and that you can use a combination of quotation and paraphrase, even in the same sentence.
• You should use at least several examplesof imagery and figurative language in each body paragraph, and be sure to explain to your readers how the imagery and figurative language are used to make the point about the theme you identify in your thesis. Don’t forget to utilize transitional words and phrases to link examples, and make sure that the paragraphs are unified.
Organization, Audience, and Style
• Your essay should be logically organized and include appropriate transitions between paragraphs.
• Your audience for this essay is a supportive one made up of your peers who have read the works of literature, but not necessarily from your perspective. Therefore, you will not need to include more than very brief summaries of the literary texts; you will be including mostly interpretation and analysis, not summary.
• Use a formal academic style (nocontractions or use of first or second person point of view). (Review the Week 3 Lecture: The College Essay (https://elcamino.instructure.com/courses/39966/pages/week-3-lecture-the-college-essay) under Academic Style.)
Format
• You should use MLA format for the assignment, including correct margins, a heading, and a header. (Review the Week 1 Lecture: MLA Format (https://elcamino.instructure.com/courses/39966/pages/week-1-lecture-mla-format) and the Week 2 Lecture: Citing Your Sources (https://elcamino.instructure.com/courses/39966/pages/week-2-lecture-citing-your-sources)
.) For in-text parenthetical citations,
include
page numbers in parentheses
(or chapter or section numbers if there are no page numbers) for quotes or paraphrases from
