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.
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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)
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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.
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