The Handmaid's Tale Analysis Essay

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I need an essay written analyzing the Handmaid's Tale based on the instructions given in the file that is uploaded. It is due by Sunday 4/1.

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English 103 Analyzing Literature Essay Assignment Draft Due: Sunday, 4/1 (post two pages minimum on Group Discussions’ Forum) Workshop Due: Sunday, 4/8 (respond to two peers using rubric on Group Discussions’ Forum) Revision Due: Sunday, 4/15 (send to professor via Essay Assignment feature on Canvas) Length: 4 pages minimum plus Works Cited page Format: MLA manuscript format and MLA documentation: (see related Lecture Notes for more information on format and documentation specifications, as you will be evaluated on accurate format and documentation). The objective of this formal writing assignment is for you to draw inferences or conclusions about a piece of literature. Your overall goal is to persuade your reader of your position. Although your essay may not change your reader’s mind, your reader should find your position interesting, thoughtful, and reasonable. For this assignment you will work exclusively with the novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Begin by deciding whether your essay will focus on interpretation, evaluation, or a combination of the two. If you set out to interpret the novel, your essay will discuss and support the meaning(s) of the novel. If your intention is to judge or evaluate the novel, you will offer and support an opinion about the work’s literary merit, based on specific literary criteria: see the five criteria options in Chapter 12 (423) of Current Issues or in Evaluating Literature Lecture Notes. Make sure your thesis statement clearly indicates whether you are striving to prove the novel’s meaning(s) or substantiate its value as a piece of literature. Please refer to Chapter 12 of Current Issues and to related Lecture Notes on Canvas for instruction on interpretation and evaluation. Please spend sufficient time analyzing the novel. Actively read and re-read, especially difficult or significant passages. Read between the lines, decode, and refer to the Discussions’ Forum for ideas. Use active reading strategies, such as highlight and annotating. Do not rely on the Internet or other sources for additional information, as this is not a research paper. I am interested in your ideas about the novel based on closed reading, careful analysis, and critical thinking. Prewrite (freewrite, cluster, brainstorm, etc.) to help you focus and formulate a thesis. Probably one of the most difficult aspects of this assignment will be deciding what you want to write about since there is so much to work with. Do not try to cover everything. Choose a focus that interests you. Then aim for depth rather than breadth. As you draft, strive to support your thesis with sufficient evidence: direct quotes, specific details and examples, and reasoning. Especially avoid unnecessary plot summary; you may assume your audience has already read the novel. After drafting, participate in group workshop (specific instructions forthcoming). Give yourself sufficient time to revise the content, edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation accuracy, and read your work aloud, slowly, prior to submission for a thorough edit/polishing. Note, too, that we will also be using Net Tutor and Turntin for this essay assignment. Nuñez 3-18 Please pay close attention to the following evaluation criteria: • Engaging, original title (not simply the title of the novel) • Clear, firm, approved thesis statement located at or near the end of your engaging/orienting introduction • Solid essay structure: introduction, body, and conclusion; especially avoid the five-paragraph essay: write beyond this, even if you use a three-point, focused thesis statement • Well-developed, unified, coherent body paragraphs • Appropriate use of fiction vocabulary: plot, setting, characterization, symbolism, etc. Your essay should demonstrate your solid understanding/application of at least one fiction element: see related Lecture Notes. • Ample supporting evidence (direct quotes, examples/details, explanation). Note: direct quotes should constitute approximately 15-20% of your essay; strive for no less than two supporting quotes per body paragraph. Your ideas and opinions are primary; quotes should play a secondary, supporting role. Also, especially avoid unnecessary plot summary: assume your audience has already read the novel, so there is no reason to retell the plot. • Demonstration that you have actively read the entire novel. This means you want to avoid focusing on just one small section of the novel. You will also want to make sure you include at least some discussion of the novel’s resolution. Note that the “Historical Notes” section at the end of the novel is actually part of the novel. Furthermore, you want to refer to all major characters: Offred, Luke, Nick, The Commander, and Serena Joy. • MLA documentation (signal phrases, direct quotations, and parenthetical citations) plus a properly formatted Works Cited page. The Handmaid’s Tale is the only source you should use for this essay. Do not use material from the Internet. • Critical Thinking: essay demonstrates original perceptions, thoughtful, interesting comments, and critical reading and thinking. • Satisfying conclusion; not unnecessarily repetitive; employ the framing technique by echoing or restating your engaging title. • Style: clear persuasive language and accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling • Third person viewpoint: he, she, characters’ names, etc. (avoid unnecessary 1st person “I” and 2nd person “you.” • Present verb tense (as is the convention when writing about literature). Audience: Your audience consists of your instructor, your peers, and others who are interested in your ideas and in the world of literature. We are intelligent, curious, and detail demanding. Again, you may assume we have all read the novel once, so you do not need to retell the plot. Some possible thesis statement approaches:      The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopia because… Offred is a dynamic character because… The Handmaid’s Tale is a tragedy (or not) because… The Handmaid’s Tale reveals the following universal truth(s)… The Handmaid’s Tale is an excellent (or disturbing, gripping, challenging etc.) novel because…(incorporate one or more of the five criteria in Evaluating Literature Notes) Nuñez 3-18  The theme of The Handmaid’s Tale is… Note: I will post additional example student thesis statements to help you get started. Suggestion: As you read the novel, highlight or underline important moments: dialogue, events, phrases, etc. Also, make notations in the margins of the novel. Record your reactions, questions, etc. This will help you immensely as you draft your essay. You will not have to hunt for good quotes because you will have already identified them. Also, you will want to read at a good pace since you have relatively little time to complete the novel and write your paper. Manage your time accordingly. Again, I will post example successful student thesis statements so you can see how others have approached this assignment. The bottom line is that you evaluate and/or interpret the novel and support that position with convincing evidence from the novel. Important Reminder: The “Historical Notes” section at the end of the novel is actually part of the novel: the final chapter. It is important that you read and analyze this chapter to better comprehend the entire book, as well as the resolution. Important Notes: (1) Please especially note the page length requirement. (2) Late drafts will not receive credit and missed workshops cannot be made up. (3) Late final essays (up to one week) will be downgraded one full letter. (4) Final essays that are more than one week late will not be accepted. (5) All final essays must be submitted in order for you to be eligible to pass the class. (6) Any essay that does not incorporate mostly accurate in-text MLA documentation and a corresponding Works Cited page will be significantly downgraded. (7) Final essays that are riddled with errors will not receive a grade higher than a C. Final essays that are incomprehensible due to errors will not receive a grade higher than a D. Any essay that is plagiarized will receive a zero. (8) You may not submit an essay you have already written and submitted for another class. If you do so, you will receive a zero. You will only receive credit for material that you have written during this class. Avoiding Plagiarism: Note that to avoid plagiarism, you must clearly document any source you use in your essay on your Works Cited page. In turn, any source listed on your Works Cited page must be clearly documented in the body of your essay: apply in-text MLA documentation and a corresponding Works Cited page. Nuñez 3-18
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The Handmaid’s Tale
Introduction
Offred works as a Handmaid in Gilead, which is a state defined by totalitarianism. The
state is primarily known for low reproduction levels, thus elite couples to bear for them children,
are using Handmaids. Most of the couples that acquire the services of the Handmaids are rich,
but cannot bear any children. As one of the Handmaids, Offred offers her services to one of the
local Commanders who is married to a lady known as Serena Joy, who used to be a gospel singer
back in the day. Whenever Offred is at a point of the month where she can conceive, she gets
intimate with the commander in the presence of his wife who holds her hand during the
intercourse session. Like any other woman in the state, Offred is given limited time to do all
other things as her movement is strictly monitored. The story is an evident description of how
women are used for their bodies and controlled in terms of everything that they do. As evidently
displayed in the story, all Handmaids are required to be followed at all times. Additionally, they
can only be allowed to go out for shopping purposes and even that is done in the presence of a
person who has t...

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