Essay 1: Romanticism / Realism (1500 words)

I will attach a document that will provide all the instructions for this paper.

Essay 1: Romanticism / Realism (1500 words)

Due: Sept. 26th (MW) and Sept. 27th (TTh) in class, no late papers accepted.

1. Description

You will write a thesis which answers a question and which you will support with text-based evidence.

Remember that in any paper you write, you will try to persuade the reader of your point. To do this you must exercise the three appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos, which you should have seen in 1101. Similarly, persuasion will require you to take a stand, so be sure to have a strong thesis that encourages the reader to adopt your point of view.

The “paper” will be 1500 words and will be turned in no later than September 26th / 27th in class. I will not read late assignments, but I will be very available to you until then. If you need Office Hours let me know.

2. Grading

This assignment is worth 20% of the overall class grade. I will be grading grammar, spelling, and punctuation judiciously. I recommend that you have someone you know read your paper to see if they understand the arguments made. I will be reading these in close and hurried succession, so do not trust that my patience will be great; if I do not understand what you are saying, it will not be scored. You must use the MLA or APA format, which includes a Works Cited page even if only one book was used. I encourage you to use foreign sources to support your statements. The essays must be based on the texts assigned in class. A paper that relies on foreign/extraneous texts will not achieve anything above a D+.

3. Topics

You are required to answer one of the following prompts or, alternatively, to develop your own topic. In all cases, make sure your thesis statements are clear. (Remember that a thesis is a sentence or two in answer to these questions, and should demonstrate your attitude.)

• Do you think the literature of O.Henry/Jack London/Maupassant/Chopin (choose two) is critical of bourgeois/commercial lifestyle? Or does it support it?
• Compare the styles between one Romanticist story and one Realist story. How is the writing different? How can you
• Look at how Maupassant and Chopin represent women. Which of the women characters are, in your opinion, worthy of emulation? In other words, of the women you have read about, which do you consider to be the “better people”? Look at Chopin and her use of adultery. Look at Mathilde.