Assignment: A compare and contrast paper; you will compare and contrast how three works from the three genres (papers must examine at least one short
story, one poem, one drama) treat similar topics. If none of the topics works for you, please see me to discuss possible alterations or alternatives. You may
engage the same story, poem, and/or play you used in Essay 1, 2, and 3 if you like and the sources from Essays 2 and 3.
Compare and contrast the depiction of race or gender issues in any three substantial works in Backpack Literature (the play must be either Trifles, Othello, or
Fences however—any paper that fails to follow this requirement will fail the assignment). Obviously, ‘issues’ is fairly broad, so you will want your thesis to be
fairly narrow in scope.
Compare and contrast the depiction the maturation of young people into adulthood or adults into a better understanding of themselves in any three
substantial works in in Backpack Literature (the play must be either Trifles, Othello, or Fences however—any paper that fails to follow this requirement will fail
the assignment). Again, ‘maturation’ is fairly broad, so you will want your thesis to be fairly narrow in scope.
Compare and contrast any three substantial works in Backpack Literature (the play must be either Trifles, Othello, or Fences however—any paper that fails to
follow this requirement will fail the assignment) through a theme of your own invention with consultation with the instructor (i.e., no papers accepted without
prior acceptance from me) such as the use of technology, the depiction of work/labor, or images of children, e.g. which might work.
For this assignment you should:
List at least five to seven secondary sources (in alphabetical order) that you intend to use in your Research Paper; your sources should include a mixture of
books and journal articles.
Include all information required by the MLA style for the citation. You can find this in your handbook or online at:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/annotated_bibliography_samples.html (Links to an
external site.)
Include a 75-100 word summary of each source, which should include direct quotes; the goal here is for you to find the author’s thesis sentence.
Proofread for grammar errors; for style guidance, go to https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ (Links to an external site.)
Your bibliography should look something like this for a book:
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print.
Lamott’s book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of
being a writer; the chapters in Lamott’s book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to
struggling with one’s own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun, but rather than a practical
handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor and its encouraging
approach.
Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing class; some of the writing exercises would also be appropriate for generating
classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott’s style both engaging and enjoyable.
(Example from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/ (Links to an external site.) )
And like this for an article:
Babbitt, Kevin. “Mary Magdalene and the Drama of Saints: Theatre, Gender, and Religion in Late Medieval England.” Theatre Journal 57.2 (2005). 331-332. 10
September 2005. < http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ theatre_journal/v057/57.2babbitt.html (Links to an external site.)>.
The author provides an in-depth review of Theresa Coletti’s book (ISBN-13: 978-0812238006) based on the Bodleian Library manuscriipt Digby 133 (the Digby
Mary Magdalene). He is very favorable of the book, describing the author’s analysis as knowledgeable, thorough, and cohesive. Babbitt highly recommends
the text for anyone interested in looking at the performance of religion, especially in light of gender issues. Advanced students as well as instructors should
find something useful in this article