English 211: Fiction
Writing Assignments
Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | Final Exam
How to submit your work
Please submit your writing assignments to me via e-mail. Save your file as a Word file (.doc) or Rich Text File (.rtf), and attach the file to your message. When sending assignments, your e-mail message should include your name, the class number (English 209), and the name of the assignment which is attached. Use correct MLA format to set up your pages and document your sources; for more information see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University. Make sure that you eliminate spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors from your writing. Send your e-mail to me at annw708@earthlink.net
About Wikipedia, SparkNotes, Etc.
Avoid citing Wikipedia in academic essays. Since it is not edited by reputable experts, it often has errors and isn't reliable. It's okay to use it as a starting point for your own research, but go on and find other sources to verify the information, and cite those in your essay.
NEVER cite SparkNotes, GradeSaver, Enotes, or other such easily accessible websites in academic essays. The information they contain is pretty elementary, and you won't endear yourselves to your professors by using a site any 6th grader can use. Instead, find more reputable academic and professional sources, such as books, journal and periodical articles in databases, and university or professional websites. See Writing About Literature for more information about how to use the college's databases.
Online Tutoring
If you are local and can get to the LAHC campus, there are several places to get tutoring. Now, you can now get tutoring online, as well, if you want help with your papers. This is free to students registered in classes at Harbor College. Contact me and I'll help you get started.
Writing Assignment 1
Choose one of the following topics and write a complete, considered answer. Be sure to support your statements with evidence from the text, and be sure to use correct MLA documentation. Required length: 2-5 pages (500-1250 words). This assignment is due Friday, October 2.
1. Defoe believed that "The novel had to justify its existence by telling a true story and preaching a sound moral." Obviously, Robinson Crusoe is not a "real" person, in the historical sense. So in what ways is this a "true" story? And what "sound moral" is Defoe preaching? Give some specific examples and quotes from the novel to support your statements.
2. In his novels, Dickens is obviously challenging the prevailing British opinions about wealth, poverty, and class. What point(s) is Dickens making? Give specific examples and quotes from either Oliver Twist or David Copperfield to support your statements.
3. Very few of the main characters in Dickens's novels are of the middle-class, churchgoing variety. Yet some are clearly good, while others are clearly bad. What makes the reader see some of them as "good" and others as "bad"? Give specific examples and quotes from either Oliver Twist or David Copperfield to support your statements.
4. We live in an age of moral relativity and easy mobility. If Hester Prynne were alive today, no one would think twice of her having a child out of wedlock, and if there were too much criticism, she would simply move to another city or state. So does The Scarlet Letter still have anything to say to people of our time, or is it simply an artistic and historical curiosity? Give specific examples and quotes from the novel to support your statements.
5. How does Hawthorne use the symbolism of light, darkness, and color to help express his themes? Explain, using specific examples and quotes from the novel to illustrate your ideas.
6. The most common interpretation of Billy Budd (although certainly not the only one) is allegorical, in which Billy is seen as a Christ figure. Give specific examples and quotes from the novel to support or refute this interpretation.
7. Choose your own topic related to one of the novels we read in this section; clear it with me first.
For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.
Writing Assignment 2
Choose one of the following topics and write a complete, considered answer. Be sure to support your statements with evidence from the text, and be sure to use correct MLA documentation. Required length: 2-5 pages (500-1250 words). This assignment is due Friday, October 30.
1. In George Saunders's introduction to the novel, he asserts that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is "probably the greatest and certainly the most influential novel of all time…" (ix). Later, he asks, "What's So Great About It?" (xii). Well, what's so great about it? Explain, using specific examples and quotes from the novel to illustrate your ideas.
2. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, what is Mark Twain saying about the character of the people of the United States? Give specific examples and quotes from the novel to support your statements.
For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.
Writing Assignment 3
Choose one of the following topics and write a complete, considered answer. Be sure to support your statements with evidence from the text, and be sure to use correct MLA documentation. Required length: 2-5 pages (500-1250 words). This assignment is due Friday, December 4.
1. The novel has changed a great deal since its beginnings in the early 1700s. Compare the style of any one of the 20th century writers we read (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Woolf, or Cunningham) to the style of an earlier writer (Defoe, Dickens, Melville, Hawthorne, or Twain).
2. The novel has changed a great deal since its beginnings in the early 1700s. Compare the values and ethics presented in the novel of any one of the 20th century writers we read (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Woolf, or Cunningham) to the values and ethics presented in the novel of any one of the earlier writers (Defoe, Dickens, Melville, Hawthorne, or Twain).
3. All of the novels in this section (The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Hours) are loaded with symbolism. Choose one of these novels and discuss the way its author uses symbolism to help express the themes of the novel.
4. Modernist and Postmodernist novels typically present the world as a place where any genuine and meaningful human connection is impossible. In your opinion, do the novels we read in this section (The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Hours) conform to this view? Choose only ONE of the novels to discuss.
5. Choose your own topic related to one of the novels we read in this section (The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Hours); clear it with me first.
For help writing this assignment, go to Writing About Literature ; for more specific help, feel free to e-mail me with questions.
Final Exam
Of the works we have read this semester, which one have you liked the best? Explain. Which one did you like the least? Explain. Which did you think was the best written? Explain. This is a personal essay, so feel free to use "I." Suggested length: 1-3 pages. (Maximum possible points: 100.)
This assignment is due Monday, December 14, by midnight.
NO LATE FINALS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!
How to submit your work
Your essays will be submitted to me via e-mail. Save your assignment as either a Word file (.doc) or a Rich Text File (.rtf) and then attach that file to your e-mail message. When sending assignments, your e-mail message should include your name, the class number (English 211), and the name of the assignment which is attached.
Use correct MLA format for the appearance of your essay and your documentation.
Eliminate spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors from your writing.
Send your e-mail to me at annw708@earthlink.net.
