English 2030

Essay #3: Culture and Identity

Assignment:

Select any of the pieces we read from the list below and compare, contrast or analyze it in terms of the themes, symbols, imagery, characterization or any other literary elements we’ve been exploring. Be sure to use passages from the works to illustrate your points.  

Choose any of these works:  

• “What It’s Like to Be a Black Girl (for Those of You Who Aren’t)”  
• “We Real Cool”  
• “Singapore”    
• “Ballad of the Landlord”  
• “Harlem”  
• “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”  
• “Poof!”
• “A Good Man is Hard to Find”  
• “The Birthmark”  

You can analyze, or compare/contrast with regard to selected literary elements, any one of these stories with another story we’ve read, or with any other story you’ve read, or with a movie or any other element of pop culture—I WELCOME your ideas!  

Note: If you choose to write only on one of the works in your essay, you must choose one of the works listed on this page. 

          If you choose to compare and contrast 2 different works in your essay, at least one of them has to           be one of the works listed on this page or you can compare and contrast 2 different works listed on           this page.

          This means that you can’t compare and contrast 2 different works that are not listed on this page.

          This means that you can’t choose a work not listed on this page if you write only on one work.            Please avoid comparing and contrasting more than 2 works.            

The purpose of the assignment is to show that you know how to make connections between various works of literature and you know how to analyze a work of literature.   

Length/Format Requirements: The paper should be a minimum of 800 words, double-spaced, and must include a Works Cited page. Use a 12- point font in Times New Roman or Arial. Margins should be 1″ on all sides. Do not use a title page, but use a proper MLA heading and a strong title for your paper. 

If you fail to include Works Cited Page, 5 points will be deducted.

Quoting and Documenting Requirements:

You need to use quoted material from each story to illustrate your comparison and contrasts. You do not, however, fill the entire paper with quotes. Please select your quotes judiciously and please deliver your own interpretation. You use quotes in order to support your own interpretation. Without your own interpretation, your paper will be a plot summary and you will receive a failing grade.  

These quotes must be properly documented within the text and on a Works Cited page using correct current MLA documentation style. If you are not sure how to use MLA style, please consult the EasyWriteror Research Matters handbooks.