ANALYTICAL ESSAY
ANALYTICAL ESSAY (26 POINTS)
Your essay should be double-spaced and 5-8 pages long (around 1,500 - 2,400 words). You will need at least three sources. One from the web, one from print (newspapers don’t count as print for our purposes) or the library catalogue, and a third that can be whatever you wish as long as it’s credible. You can have more than three sources but don’t get carried away. No more than eight would be advisable.
Here are some possible topics for the paper:
1. You can analyze the way the text portrays a concept by exploring its answers to one of these questions: How does our family help shape our identity as we come of age? Can we escape our dysfunctional beginnings as we come of age? When coming of age, what role does race play in altering our perspective of the world? How does immigration affect our coming of age experience? Your research might include scholarship on the question you select and/or research on the psychological and social implications of coming of age.
2. You can do a critique of the text from a certain perspective, such as gender, class, race, sexuality, age, etc. Your research might include theoretical works from the perspective you’ve selected (feminist theory, working-class studies, critical race theory, etc.) and/or work on coming of age in a global society.
3. Much of White Teeth deals with the theme of immigration and how it can affect the host country and the lives of those who have immigrated. For this option, you would research immigration issues, either in England, where the book takes place, in the States, or somewhere else in the world, and tie them to what Smith has created with her novel. Does her portrayal match the kind of situations you’ve found in your research? Does it contradict your understanding of immigration based on your research? Your research would center around an aspect of immigration either in England, the States, or another part of the world.
4. For this option you will look at how a few aspects of your own coming of age story mirror those described in White Teeth. The key for this option is helping us understand how your personal story gives us a deeper understanding of the characters presented in the novel and how reading the novel transformed your understanding of your own history. Research for this option could include interviews with people who were important to you during your own coming of age time, such as parents, siblings, and friends, as well as psychological and social research to examine the experiences you and Smith’s characters are undergoing.
If none of these options seem appealing to you, we can always discuss other possibilities.
Analytical Essay Delivery
In order for your analytical essay to receive full credit, you must do the following:
Write your essay in Microsoft Word and name it with your last name and Analytical Essay, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay. You will email the essay to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be your last name and Analytical Essay, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay. I will deduct a point if you do not follow this format as you turn in your proposal.
Here are some possible topics for the paper:
1. You can analyze the way the text portrays a concept by exploring its answers to one of these questions: How does our family help shape our identity as we come of age? Can we escape our dysfunctional beginnings as we come of age? When coming of age, what role does race play in altering our perspective of the world? How does immigration affect our coming of age experience? Your research might include scholarship on the question you select and/or research on the psychological and social implications of coming of age.
2. You can do a critique of the text from a certain perspective, such as gender, class, race, sexuality, age, etc. Your research might include theoretical works from the perspective you’ve selected (feminist theory, working-class studies, critical race theory, etc.) and/or work on coming of age in a global society.
3. Much of White Teeth deals with the theme of immigration and how it can affect the host country and the lives of those who have immigrated. For this option, you would research immigration issues, either in England, where the book takes place, in the States, or somewhere else in the world, and tie them to what Smith has created with her novel. Does her portrayal match the kind of situations you’ve found in your research? Does it contradict your understanding of immigration based on your research? Your research would center around an aspect of immigration either in England, the States, or another part of the world.
4. For this option you will look at how a few aspects of your own coming of age story mirror those described in White Teeth. The key for this option is helping us understand how your personal story gives us a deeper understanding of the characters presented in the novel and how reading the novel transformed your understanding of your own history. Research for this option could include interviews with people who were important to you during your own coming of age time, such as parents, siblings, and friends, as well as psychological and social research to examine the experiences you and Smith’s characters are undergoing.
If none of these options seem appealing to you, we can always discuss other possibilities.
Analytical Essay Delivery
In order for your analytical essay to receive full credit, you must do the following:
Write your essay in Microsoft Word and name it with your last name and Analytical Essay, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay. You will email the essay to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be your last name and Analytical Essay, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay. I will deduct a point if you do not follow this format as you turn in your proposal.
ANALYTICAL ESSAY PROPOSAL (4 POINTS)
In the first proposal, you will provide the following:
An explanation of which option you have selected and what your plans are for the paper
A draft of your thesis statement
A draft of your main points (you should have between 2-4 main points for a paper this size). Instead making a formal outline, just summarize the point in a sentence or two.
Your sources in MLA format
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
Complete your responses in Microsoft Word and name each document with your last name and Analytical Essay Proposal, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay Proposal. You will email each response to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be your last name and Analytical Essay Proposal, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay Proposal. I will deduct a point if you do not follow this format as you turn in your proposal
An explanation of which option you have selected and what your plans are for the paper
A draft of your thesis statement
A draft of your main points (you should have between 2-4 main points for a paper this size). Instead making a formal outline, just summarize the point in a sentence or two.
Your sources in MLA format
Proposal Delivery
In order for your proposal to receive full credit, you must do the following:
Complete your responses in Microsoft Word and name each document with your last name and Analytical Essay Proposal, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay Proposal. You will email each response to [email protected]. The subject of your email should be your last name and Analytical Essay Proposal, i.e. Hidalgo Analytical Essay Proposal. I will deduct a point if you do not follow this format as you turn in your proposal
ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR
Assignment | Due Date |
---|---|
Analytical essay proposal (4 points) | 2/13 by midnight |
Analytical essay draft in digital form | 2/25 by class time Incomplete drafts will count as a missed quiz (1 point) |
Analytical essay final version (26 points) | 2/28 by midnight |
QUESTIONS
If you have questions about the analytical essay assignment, feel free to email me, stop by my office hours, or make an appointment.