INSTRUCTIONS—Please read carefully
Choose ONE of the prompts listed below and write NO MORE THAN 750 WORDS in response. Keep your essay specific, focused, debatable, and argumentative.
(The 750-word count does not include heading, title, and works cited.)
Your essay will include a brief introductory paragraph and thesis statement; approximately three body paragraphs with strong topic sentences, examples from the text, and explanations and analysis; and a brief conclusion that gives your reader something notable to walk away with. Do not simply repeat yourself in the conclusion paragraph.
Your body paragraphs must contain quotations from the text you are writing about. See the resource for “MLA In-Text Citations” and “Formatting Quotations” at the end of these instructions.
Your essay must include the following:
An introductory paragraph that catches the reader’s attention and states a clear, debatable thesis statement
Approximately three body paragraphs that logically support your argument. Use direct quotations in each body paragraph to support your argument. Introduce quotations with signal phrases. Avoid dropped quotations (quotations which are not introduced with a signal phrase or integrated into a grammatically correct, complete sentence).
Include an in-text citation at the end of a quotation or paraphrase of information.
A conclusion paragraph that reminds the reader of the essay’s main idea but does not simply repeat it. Give the reader something useful and insightful to walk away with.
A descriiptive, creative, and relevant Don’t simply write “Prompt 1,” for example.
Times New Roman or similar 12-pt. font, double spaced, and 1” margins
A works cited page. See resources below from the Purdue OWL for help with MLA works cited page.
Texas State University Honor Code, written and “signed” at the end of the essay:
“I pledge to uphold the principles of honesty and responsibility at our university.”
Chosen prompt- In her book Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory, Jyotsna G. Singh explains how readers can “discern an early colonizing imagination at work” in plays by Shakespeare such as The Tempest. Consider how The Tempest confronts this early colonizing imagination. What does the play say about the burgeoning colonialist, expansionist, and imperialist movements of the early modern period? Does the play indict colonialism? Does it praise colonialism? Does the play problematize the exploitation of individuals in this context? Point to specific details and include direct quotations from The Tempest to support your argument.
