Select one of the following 3 essay assignment options for the final exam essay.
All options require secondary source research. Pay careful attention to the Essay requirements listed beneath the topic options.
Option 1: Patriotism (and more) in Poems
Compare Martin Espada’s 9/11 poem “Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100” (Links to an external site.) to Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus” (Links to an external site.) and Herman Melville’s “Battle Pieces.” (Links to an external site.) (Students may select any poem or poems from “Battle Pieces.”) Thesis question: how do these poems’ images and arguments capture the American struggle with patriotism and diversity in very different time periods?
Things to ponder: It’s important to note the time of each text and the national context – particularly in relation to regional or national identity. How does each poem present patriotism and diversity? And how does each poem capture the conflicts and struggles America has associated with patriotism and diversity? Focus your research on the historical context as well as the authors and the poems.
See & hear Espada read his poem here. (Links to an external site.)
Option 4: The Funnies
Compare the political cartoons directed at Presidents and foreign policy from the following war periods: Spanish American War, Vietnam War, and the War on Terror. Thesis question: how have depictions and arguments against nationalism and imperialism changed over time?
To effectively compare cartoons & cartoonist strategies, it is necessary to understand the history of political cartoons as well as critical insights on cartoons as art – so be sure to do general research into political cartoons.
Option 5: Selling and Not Buying
Compare Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”Preview the document to the 2005 Tony-winning musical, “RENT.” (Links to an external site.) Thesis question: how do the struggles and concerns of the young bohemians of the 1990s compare to the struggles and concerns of the Willy Loman, a middle-aged man struggling with the changing modern world of the 1940s? What is the state of the American Dream according to these two texts separated by 50 years? (Students will have to locate or gain access to the film.)
Essay Requirements:
4 pages minimum (excluding Works Cited page)
MLA style (format & documentation)
2-3 primary sources (primary sources are the texts that are named in the essay option – these texts are the focus of the essay,)
3 secondary sources minimum (secondary sources are expert analysis sources that help you learn about and analyze your primary source, and then become evidence that you use to support your major points in the paper. Secondary sources for literary analysis are usually and most easily found in the library databases, and I suggest you restrict your research to the library databases; if you opt for internet research, please use the Google Scholar search engine and ensure that you use college-level secondary sources (that eliminates Wikipedia, spark or cliff or any other notes). Please consult with the library staff or me if you’re unsure whether an internet source is a college-level secondary source.)
sufficient textual evidence (smoothly and credibly attributed, correctly quoted, cited, and documented)
academic structure and style (thesis-driven paper with critical topic sentences that avoid summary)
Edited American English
error-free
