PAPER TWO ASSIGNMENT
Technical Specifications:
4 to 5 pages, MLA, double-spaced, font 12/Times New Roman, 1-inch margins
Due Dates:
Submit a document that indicates topic + play + thesis to Paper 2 Folder in the Google Drive Folder or share with me directly by Wednesday, April 24th. Remember that an effective thesis/argument/claim asserts a specific and concrete arguable position.
Upload final paper (4-5 pages) + original work statement to Paper 2 Folder in the Google Drive Folder or share with me directly by Monday, May 6th.
ASSIGNMENT: Select one of the topics below and apply it to one of the plays read since the midterm: The Rover by Aphra Behn, OR Rachel by Angelina Weld Grimke, OR Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, OR Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau. Remember to adapt the topic into a thesis/argument/claim that will allow you to develop a 4-5 page paper that supports and illustrates its points and claims using textual evidence in the form of specific details and quotations from the text. Quotations must be included and when including quotations, the page number in parentheses should appear after the quote, and there should be a Works Cited page.
Topics:
• Setting or environment and its impact upon a character in one of the plays listed above (think of the contrasting effects of the home and outside-home environments upon the various characters in Rachel, for example)
• Actions (which can also be inactions like waiting) and their impact upon a character in one of the plays listed above
• Choices/decisions and the impact upon a character in one of the plays listed above (think of Faye’s decision to resign at the end of the play, or Faye’s decision to defend Reggie in the face of Dez’s criticism, for example)
• How and why one of the plays listed above could be performed in 2024 to engage a specific audience (think of the ways in which The Rover addresses sexual violence and harassment, for example or the ways in which Waiting for Godot captures the experience of the marginalized, for example)
Your paper should include the following elements:
• a clearly stated argument that alerts readers to the “so what” or the implications of the argument
• a clear organizational structure (paragraphs identifying central ideas linked back to the central argument)
• smooth integration of specific textual evidence, including concrete details and judicious quotation
• a clear writing style
• an inclusion and development of your voice
• MLA style that incorporates parenthetical citation and a Works Cited page
In addition to addressing the elements of the assignment, all papers must include the following two items:
1) Quotations from the plays followed by page number in parentheses and linked to a Works Cited page. Your draft and your revision must include quotations from the play as well as page numbers in parentheses after the quotation. Electronic versions of plays should have page numbers, but if they do not, then you should use a print-out, number the pages and attach the print-out. Anytime you use quotations, you need to include a Works Cited page.
2) Original work statement: You must include the following language on both your draft and your final version before submitting:
I certify that this assignment represents my own work. I have not used any unauthorized or unacknowledged assistance or sources in completing it including free or commercial systems or services offered on the internet. Signature:
