Your second paper will make an argument about a specific word, and link several meanings of that word to the overall meaning of the text. Your text has been assigned to you, The Boys in the Band (1968). Find a single word in the reading that seems charged with meaning or important to the overall text, then research the words historical definitions at the Oxford English Dictionary. For example, should you have been working on Pauls Case, you might have zeroed in on the word “gay,” a word Cather repeats through the story. When “Paul’s Case” was published, “gay” had many meanings, including: 1. “light-hearted, carefree; manifesting, characterized by, or disposed to joy and mirth” 2. “dedicated to social pleasures; dissolute, promiscuous, frivolous, hedonistic” 3. “of a person: homosexual” and 4. “impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; reckless.” I could write a thesis linking these meanings together, to make a larger statement about the meaning of the text: e.g.: Through the word “gay,” Willa Cather links Paul’s personality to his sexual identity: he is frivolous, reckless and shallow because he is homosexual. According to “Paul’s Case,” queer people self-destruct because of their own self-indulgence. We’ve also discussed Baldwin’s use of darkness in Giovanni’s Room. During the 1950s, “dark” could mean: 1. “Absence of light; dark state or condition; darkness, esp. that of night” 2. “A dark place: a place of darkness” or 3. “The condition of being hidden from view, obscure, or unknown; obscurity.” A thesis addressing the word “dark” might look something like this: In Giovanni’s Room, “dark” connotes both darkness and secrecy. The novel argues that, unless queer people bring their lives and loves into the light, LGBTQ people will remain hidden and ignored. Note that the thesis mentions the word at hand, its relevant meanings, and how the meanings combine to make a greater statement. Ideally, youre looking for a single important word that has more than one applicable meaning or definition, and you want to link those meanings to make a larger (cultural) argument about the text. Be very careful to consider date ranges: although some small leeway is permissible (the OED is not a perfect machine), you shouldnt apply a late twentieth-century sense to a word used in the first few decades of the 1900s. You are free to depart from a strict consideration of the word or reference; for example, tracing gay in Pauls Case might necessitate looking at the queer texture of the story more generally, and documenting words and phrases (e.g., faggot, secret love, hot for pleasure, cruising, queen, etc.) which function in similar ways. Every aspect of your argument, however, should be ultimately traceable back to the single word under consideration. Finally, not EVERY word in EVERY text will be charged with meaning. If you begin with a reference or word which, after doing the research, doesn’t really “pan out,” its your job to switch gears and find one you can say some interesting things about. Im judging you based not only on your ability to derive meaning from small elements, but likewise to identify compelling elements to explore in the first place. Your paper should be four to six double-spaced pages, with one-inch margins. Youll be graded by the same rubric as the previous paper, with one exception: an additional category for improvement (so make sure that you’ve read and are responding to Essay One feedback). You should also meet with Anne-Tillery in the week preceding your deadline. Each item is worth ten points, for a total of fifty. ORIGINALITY. The student makes an interesting, engaging and original observation about the reading. The argument is not obvious and does not merely parrot the ideas of the instructor. Ideally, my thinking about the text has been enriched by the student’s contribution. STRUCTURE AND ARGUMENT. The short paper makes a clear central argument. Paragraphs have topic sentences. Information is presented logically, with clear transitions. STYLE. The paper is well written: clear and confident, paragraphed and formatted correctly, with a variety of sentence structures and punctuation marks, free of careless or grammatical errors. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TEXT. The student demonstrates that she or he has carefully read the text. Short, compelling examples are cited to support each idea, from multiple places in the reading. IMPROVEMENT. The student has applied instructor feedback from Paper One, and has made a good faith effort to improve.
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