Choose one of the following topics and make an argument in a typed, double-spaced 3- to 5-page reaction paper. Use citations from the works we have read in order to support your
argument/assertions, that is, do not simply reiterate or describe action or what was said – take a point of view. You may also write on a topic of your choice based on our readings, upon approval. Refer to the “writing scale definitions” and pay attention to the overall structure of your essay, especially to “communication,” “accuracy,’ “fluency,” “mechanics,” and “exposition.” Avoid grammatical errors, everyday/colloquial language, contractions, and the use of “I/me” (I think, I believe, I feel, etc). Your essay should be well reasoned and coherent (with sentences that are not awkward). This is not a research paper but a reaction paper, and you should adhere primarily to the primary texts, although citations of secondary works are fine – just do not make them the main focus of your paper.
TOPIC:
Wolfgang Borchert:
“The Rats Do Sleep Nights,” “The Three Dark Kings,” “The Bread.” Borchert’s post-war vision of Germany is of a catastrophe, depicted through the suffering of civilians and in the ruin of German cities. In the three stories we have read, discuss the techniques Borchert uses to give voice to this view of the country and of the historical moment (images, characters, tone, etc.).
Short stories and rubric are attached.
