English 3H Writing Prompts

Literary Criticism on Dystopias
Due March 22, 2013

        Literary Criticism is the formal study and discussion of works of literature, which involves judging and explaining their importance and meaning. The process involves evaluation, analysis, description, and interpretation in the form of a critical essay. Criticism may examine
a particular literary work, may look at an author's writings as a whole,
or may take a thematic approach considering several works.
       The objective of this assignment is to interpret Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four by arguing for a particular way of understanding the two works. You will be assigned a topic. You will determine how this topic helps explain the novels by focusing on the philosophies of the two societies.

Requirements:
     Five sources—the two novels (primary sources), plus three scholarly sources (secondary sources) that reinforce your argument—for a total of seven citations:
          o Brave New World (at least two references) and
          o Nineteen Eighty-Four (at least two references), plus
          o At least three references from the following:

1) Nonfiction published books. One reference—and one reference only—from an encyclopedia is appropriate as long as the chosen commentary is author signed and not anonymous.

2) Professional journals—not general interest magazines such as Time, but rather peer-reviewed professional journals such as Psychological Review. Not everything published in scholarly journals is appropriate to use as a resource for research. Book reviews, editorials, and short news items do not count as scholarly articles.

3) Online sources. Web sites should be used judiciously. While the internet puts a wealth of information at your fingertips, much of that information may be inappropriate for academic research. Many web sites are inaccurate, biased toward a certain perspective, or written by individuals who lack the necessary qualifications. The best online sites tend to be those of professional journals, libraries, universities, professional organizations such as IEEE, or electronic resources such as EBSCO and Wilson Web. Self-published sources fail to stand up to scrutiny. Unsigned web articles and blogs are inappropriate, as well as sites such as Sparknotes, Shmoop or Helium. Wikipedia is appropriate only as a database for locating suitable scholarly sources.

These citations should be selected specifically to advance your argument, not to provide peripheral information about the topic.
Length is four to five pages, plus a title page and a Works Cited page—both of which must adhere to MLA guidelines. In-text citations are required. Standard MLA formatting must be followed throughout. All pages must be typed in a formal typeface such as Times Roman (serif) or Calibri (sans serif). Informal typefaces such as Papyrus and Comic Sans are inappropriate.
The completed paper is due Friday, March 22 (11:59 pm), via Turn-It-In. Late papers will be penalized. There are no exceptions to this deadline without prior arrangement.

MLA Guidelines for Republished Books

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. 1932. New York: Harper & Brothers; New York:
HarperCollins Publishers. 1998.

Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. 1949. New York: Harcourt; New York: Penguin
Group Inc. 1977.

MLA Guidelines for an Introduction or Foreword

Hitchens, Christopher. Foreword. Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited. By Aldous
Huxley. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics. 2005.

Orwell's Smithy
Due March 11, 2013

A snippet of a song is heard on page 77 of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four as Winston Smith observes Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford at the Chestnut Tree Café. When Winston sits by himself much later on page 293, the telescreen plays the same song, a parody of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Village Blacksmith,” thus linking the two scenes.

In a formal essay of two pages or so, discuss why Orwell may have referenced this particular poem. Consider also the reasons Orwell may have wanted to connect the two scenes.

Your essay must be written in standard MLA format – i.e. double-spaced, 12-point type in a formal type-face such as Times Roman or Calibri, with one-inch margins. Number your pages using MLA formatting and include a Works Cited page in which you follow the formatting for republished books. Use the following standard heading (no cover sheet):

      Your name
      Your instructor
      English 3H, pd. 3 (or pd. 4 or pd. 6)
      The due date (11 March 2013)
                              An original title (centered on the page)

The assignment, worth 75 points, is due on March 11 at 11:59 pm. Submission must be via Turn-It-In. Proof read thoroughly because you will not be able to resubmit once you have uploaded your paper. Failure to follow these directions will result in lost points.

Dr. Stockmann Measured by Aristotle
Due January 23, 2013

The concept of a tragic hero was defined by Aristotle in his Poetics (335 BCE). This type of hero is generally seen as a virtuous character destined for suffering or defeat because of a miscalculation. Often, the tragic hero’s error in judgment, called hamartia by Aristotle, leads to an epiphany that results in personal growth. In a formal essay of two pages or so, decide whether Dr. Stockmann from Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People is a tragic hero. If so, identify his hamartia. If he is not, why not? Support your arguments with three specific references from the play. Underline your thesis statement.

Your essay must be written in standard MLA format – i.e. double-spaced, 12-point type in a formal type-face such as Times Roman or Calibri, with one-inch margins. Number your pages using MLA formatting and include a Works Cited page. As stated, you must include at least three in-text citations using MLA style. Use the following standard heading (no cover sheet):

      Your name
      Your instructor
      English 3H, pd. 3 (or pd. 4 or pd. 6)
      The due date (23 January 2013)
                              An original title (centered on the page)

The assignment, worth 75 points, is due on January 23 at 11:59 pm. Submission must be via Turn-It-In. Proof read thoroughly because you will not be able to resubmit once you have uploaded your paper. Failure to follow these directions will result in lost points.

Illuminating Huxley via Frederick Douglass
Due December 19, 2012

Former American slave Frederick Douglass explores the methods used to manipulate and control slaves in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In chapter 11 he writes of his master, Hugh Auld:

“He exhorted me to content myself, and be obedient. He told me, if I would be happy, I must lay out no plans for the future. He said, if I behaved myself properly, he would take care of me. Indeed, he advised me to complete thoughtlessness of the future, and taught me to depend solely upon him for happiness. He seemed to see fully the pressing necessity of setting aside my intellectual nature, in order to [find] contentment in slavery” (88).

These recommendations seem eerily reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Mustapha Mond’s assertion that happiness and stability are the hallmarks of his society when people know their place and appreciate the benefits of living without family hassles, responsibilities, or attachments. Indeed, Mond observes that “Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axles, sane men, obedient men, stable in contentment” (42).

In what ways do the denizens of Huxley’s world conform to the guidelines laid out by Hugh Auld? In an essay of two pages or so, discuss the ways in which the World State complies with Master Auld’s protocols. You might also consider some of the more important distinctions between the two. Be certain that your thesis statement is the final sentence of your introductory paragraph.

Your essay must be written in standard MLA format – i.e. double-spaced, 12-point type in a formal type-face such as Times Roman or Calibri, with one-inch margins. Number your pages using MLA formatting and include a Works Cited page in which the two selections follow the formatting for republished books.
You must include at least one in-text citation from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and at least three from Brave New World. Use the following MLA standard heading (no cover sheet):

     Your name
     Your instructor
     English 3H, pd. 3 (or pd. 4 or pd. 6)
     The due date (19 December 2012)
                           An original title (centered on the page)

The assignment, worth 75 points, is due on December 19, at 11:59 pm. Submission must be via Turn-It-In.

Proof read thoroughly because you will not be able to resubmit once you have uploaded your paper.

Access the works by clicking below:

A Response to Bauerlein
Due September 21, 2012

Read the following excerpts from Mark Bauerlein's The Dumbest Generation.

Introduction

Chapter 1

Does Bauerlein's thesis have merit? In a formal three-paragraph essay of about 450 words, defend or dispute Bauerlein's position. Be specific! Your essay must be written in standard MLA format – i.e. double-spaced, 12-point type in a formal type-face such as Times Roman or Calibri, with one-inch margins. Number your pages using MLA formatting and include a "Works Cited" page if applicable. Use the following MLA standard heading (no cover sheet):

     Your name
     Your instructor
     English 3H, pd. 3 (or pd. 4 or pd. 6)
     The due date (21 September 2012)
                        An original title (centered on the page)

The assignment, worth 60 points, is due on September 21, at 11:59 pm. Submission must be via Turn-It-In.
Proof read thoroughly because you will not be able to resubmit once you have uploaded your paper.