NO CLASS MONDAY 12/1
DRAFT DUE WED 12/3
TUES/WED CLASS:
NO CLASS TUESDAY 12/2
DRAFT DUE THURSDAY 12/4
Use
2 OUTSIDE SOURCES (NO
OUTSIDE SOURCES=FAIL)
3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN
Pick ONE of the essay topics below for
your paper.
A Raisin in the Sun
1.
Each of the characters in the Younger
family has a particular individual dream. One wants to move to a bigger home,
one wants to attend medical school, one wants to rise above his conditions
though does not necessarily have a plan to do so. Write an essay in which you
compare and contrast the functions of dreams in A Raisin in the Sun.
Consider whether there was a way to make each individual dream compatible with
others’ dreams. If so, explain why the characters did not identify this
alternative.
2. Oftentimes,
seemingly minor characters can actually have great significance to either the
meaning or the actions of the play. In A Raisin in the Sun there is a
handful of minor characters, including Mr. Linder, Bobo, Willy, George and
Joseph, who are significant to the play. Choose one or more of the minor
characters in A Raisin in the Sun and write an essay in which you
analyze the roles that they play in the development of the thematic content of A
Raisin in the Sun. Assess whether the inclusion of these minor characters
is necessary to develop the play’s message. Defend your thesis with outside
sources and examples from the text.
3.
Compare the three women from play and
explain where they differed and what separated them throughout the play.
4.
How
is the American Dream expressed in each member of the Younger family: Walter,
Ruth, Lena (Mama), and Beneatha?
5.
How
would you compare the struggles of the Younger family to that of the family we
see in Pursuit of Happyness?
6.
Joseph
Assaigai, George Murchinson, Ruth's Pregnancy, Beneatha's hair, Mr. Lindner,
the new house, the money from the insurance policy, and Lena's plant. In what
sense are these people, events, and/or objects symbolic? How do they further our
understanding of the play?
Do
not use floating quotations--do not just stick quotes into a paragraph with no
setup or lead-in.
How to quote a play in MLA:
Quote a monologue
(one character's speech) or one side of a piece of dialogue by simply
including a lead-in, enclosing the exact wording in quotation marks and adding
a citation. Add a comma before the quotation. Example: To impress the successful Bernard, Willy exaggerates his son
Biff's success, "Well, he's been doing very big things in the West. But he
decided to establish himself here" (Miller 23).
Quote
a long monologue (four or more lines) delivered by a character by setting it
off in block format. This means that, instead of enclosing it in
quotation marks, you put the quotation on a separate line from the lead-in and
indent it 10 spaces. For block quotes, end the lead-in with a colon. Don't
forget to cite it. Example: Willy continues his delusional discussion with the
nonexistent
BEN. Without a penny to his name, three great
universities are begging for him, and from there the sky's the limit, because
it's not what you do, Ben. It's who you know and the smile on your face! It's
contacts, Ben, contacts! The whole wealth of Alaska passes over the lunch table
at the Commodore Hotel, and that's the wonder, the wonder of this country, that
a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked! (Miller 22)
Quote
sets of dialogue between two or more characters by also using block format and
putting the characters' names in all capital letters.
Don't forget a lead-in and a citation that includes all speeches being quoted.
Example:
Willy's delusions consistently show how much Happy and Bernard idolized Biff, especially when they argue over who will carry his football gear:
BERNARD. Biff, I'm carrying your helmet, ain't I?
HAPPY. No, I'm carrying the helmet.
BERNARD. Oh, Biff, you promised me.
HAPPY. I'm carrying the helmet. (Miller 34)
Willy's delusions consistently show how much Happy and Bernard idolized Biff, especially when they argue over who will carry his football gear:
BERNARD. Biff, I'm carrying your helmet, ain't I?
HAPPY. No, I'm carrying the helmet.
BERNARD. Oh, Biff, you promised me.
HAPPY. I'm carrying the helmet. (Miller 34)
Does my paper have:
o
An
introduction that states my thesis, the author or authors of the text I am
writing about and the title of those texts
o
Body
paragraphs that use outside sources and examples from the text to support my
thesis
o
A
conclusion that restates my thesis and does NOT include quotes from the text or
any new information
o
A works
cited page that follows MLA guidelines as shown in the handout
