It should include the following: 1) an
introduction with a clear and contentious thesis statement; 2) body paragraphs
with topic sentences framing the paragraph’s guiding argument, evidence from
the text (specific examples and quotations), and close reading analysis; and 3)
a short conclusion summarizing the paper’s main points.
The paper must be properly MLA
formatted, including a Works Cited page.
Choose one of the following
prompts and write an argumentative essay of roughly 1000-1200 words.
1. In Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel Go, Went,
Gone, the development of the main character, Richard, is one of the ways the
author conveys her major ideas about the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.
Using close reading analysis of specific examples and devices, explore how
Richard changes (and/or does not change) over the course of the novel and how,
in turn, this development relates to Erpenbeck’s themes and message.
2. As with several of the texts we’ve read
this term, Go, Went, Gone explores the theme of complicity. In this
case, Erpenbeck’s novel seems to send a clear message that to remain passive
and silent in the face of history is a diminishment of one’s own humanity.
Argue this message by providing close reading analysis of the novel’s extensive
use of symbolism.
3. In many ways, Go, Went, Gone
explores and questions the notion of “home.” Using close reading analysis of
specific examples and literary devices, interpret and explain the novel’s
various representations of home, from an actual place to an emotional construct,
from a national idea to a legal concept.
