In a well-organized essay of 4-6 pages, respond to the statement listed below. Be sure to provide references and examples from both texts. As such you are responsible for the entirety of Native Son and The Jungle. Since this is a take-home assignment, grammar, spelling, and the like will carry more weight in the computation of the final grade than is the case for an exam.
Make an argument that addresses the role of the so-called “outsider” in the two assigned novels. It is perhaps a good idea to present a definition of “outsider” in order to help orient the thesis argument. That argument should have a clear and decisive point that has the support of textual evidence from both books. It is not enough to say “Outsiders play a part in both texts” or something similar. Rather, you need to propose your own idea(s) about how and why those who are on the outside of society matter, and what the significance of this reality is as it relates to each text.
In making your arguments, you must provide examples from the texts for support. Rather than using formal footnotes/endnotes, follow these instructions. At the end of a citation–either a complete quotation or a paraphrase (putting the author’s ideas into your own words)–place the author’s name and the page numbers in parentheses. For example, a quotation: “I really like to teach history.” (Beirich, 21); a paraphrase: Some people like to teach history. (Beirich, 21) These methods are used to teach you about the issue of plagiarism, and to show you that historians always try to attribute properly their sources. This is the idea: You cannot claim another’s ideas as your own. In addition, avoid quoting from the Introductions of the three works. The information contained in them is provided as background material only. Make your arguments from the texts themselves–there is more than enough information present for you to make realistic conclusions about the works.
Your essay should use a standard format: 12 font, double spaced, one inch margin. Be sure to proofread your paper carefully; spelling, grammar, and other issues related to proper presentation and usage are a significant part of this assignment. If you have any questions regarding topic, thesis argument, paper format, and/or presentation, please do not hesitate to ask. In most cases I can alleviate a concern before it becomes a problem, but you have to ask for help or make me aware of the situation ahead of time. Informing me of any and all issues near to or on the day the paper is due makes it extremely difficult for me to help you.
