Final Course Essay (Minimum of 2000 Words)
Objective:
Write a literary analysis of We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep by Andrew Kelly Stewart. You may also include a second novel from the course as part of your discussion and to compare it to Stewart’s work.
Your analysis can focus on the thematic elements we’ve discussed this semester, or you can explore a literary analysis of your own design. You can view some examples on constructing thesis statements for literary analysis here: https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism/thesis
Below are some topics we covered in the course; however, you are not required to discuss these in particular.
The Novel Form (structure, style)
Specific Thematic Issues (Apocalypse, Science, Colonization, Ethics, the Other, Evolution, Survival, Philosophy or others)
Symbolism
Imagery
Other Literary Techniques
Gender
Race
Psychology
Social issues
Religion
In addition to the stories, you will include critical research to support your claims.
Because Stewart’s novella is new, it is unlikely that you will find literary criticism published on it. In fact, other than reviews, you’re likely the first to write about it critically.
The other novels in our course have been around long enough to have criticism published about them.
Research Component: You must have at least 6 total resources. Of the required 6 resources:
The novel(s) you analyze
3 must be literary criticism or literary theory
2 are open to any resource, such as interviews, historical information, or other library/database resources
Additional resources are allowed, but no more than 30% of your essay should be outside material (based on Turnitin results)
See the Research Guide provided in the module for additional help
No Wikipedia pages, book reviews, or films should be used.
Use MLA style for all citations.
When using any outside material, you must properly quote, paraphrase, summarize, and cite the material. If not, this can be considered plagiarism and result in penalties to your grade, such as a zero for the assignment. See the syllabus for details.
Remember: Summary and Analysis are two different things. Don’t confuse the two for this essay. I don’t want a summary of each work. Focus on analyzing the qualities of the literature. Here is a quick resource about the difference between the summary and analysis: http://comptalk.fiu.edu/analysis_v.htm
See Purdue OWL for more on writing a Literary Analysis.
Some important tips about writing academic essays:
Course essays should be formal. Formal essays should:
Avoid a conversational tone
Avoid the use of personal pronouns referring to the writer or reader of the essay (I, me, you, your, us, we, our)
Avoid contractions (shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, can’t, won’t, etc.) – Simply spell them out.
Avoid web-based resources for support (Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or similar websites)
Avoid proofreading errors (be sure to spell check and read through your essay)
Avoid overuse of resources (at the most, your essay should contain only 30% resource material)
If you do not meet the minimum word count, you receive an automatic 50% on the essay. The grade can descend from there. Since this course is Gordon Rule, it is important to meet the minimums.
Be sure to review the Rubric for this essay to better understand the elements being assessed.
Grading Rubric:
Critical Element
Content
Research
Structure
Grammar / Mechanics
MLA Formatting / Citations
Point Value
30
20
20
15
15
Criteria
–Essay fulfills the purpose of the assignment.
–Essay contains connected topics that provide reasons to support the thesis.
–Essay uses specific evidence to support the topics.
The other novels from the semester were world war Z, the road, alas Babylon, a canticle for Leibowitz, children of men and I am legend. Feel free to use any one to compare to the novel used for this essay.
–Essay contains the required quantity of resources.
–Essay contains the required quality of resources.
–Essay utilizes resources for support.
–Essay has an introduction with a clear thesis.
–Essay contains paragraphs with clear topic sentences.
–Essay contains a conclusion paragraph.
–Essay has clear transitions and a coherent organization.
