The English Concentration 
in the Liberal Studies Degree 

For this assignment, write an essay analyzing a work of literature in relation to relevant historical contexts.  The essay should be approximately 1500-1750 words in length (about 6 double spaced pages) and should be written without the use or consultation of research.  The topic for this essay will be your own to develop but should come from our classroom discussion;  the paper that you turn in must be written for this class to answer this assignment (no plagiarism and no duplication of papers is allowed in the English program!).  You will need to follow all guidelines for good essay writing:  a provocative title;  an informative lead-in that sets up your argument and a clear, focused thesis;  good development;  unity;  coherence;  and a well thought out, non-repetitive conclusion.  You will be graded on the correctness of the citation and documentation of your quotations and paraphrases (use MLA internal documentation). In order to get credit for the essay, you must participate in any workshops and turn in a completed draft of your essay on the rough draft due date. 

You will need to follow all guidelines for good essay writing to receive a satisfactory or average grade (a “C”):   
--an informative and interesting title 
--an informative lead-in 
--a clear, focused thesis 
--good development in the body of the essay (i.e., the most important passages from the work[s] that you are analyzing in both quotation and paraphrase form as well as your own prose explication of those passages) 
--unity 
--coherence 
--a well thought out, non-repetitive conclusion 
--only minor errors in mechanics, grammar, spelling, and MLA documentation and citation.  

To receive a higher grade, you will need to have a very strong thesis (a tight focus presented clearly) with strong development (a strong choice of passages with concise yet detailed and thoughtful analysis of those passages) and especially strong unity and coherence;  in addition, you can have virtually no errors in documenting and citing your sources and in mechanics, grammar, and spelling.  I will check all your quoted passages and all your citations for correctness (use MLA internal documentation with a Works Cited page). 

Your paper must be an original essay written for this class;  plagiarism will result in a failing grade. The essay must be submitted in a folder at the beginning of the class meeting on which it is due;  please underline your thesis and your topic sentences on your final draft.