The final project for this course, as you know, invites you to apply Toni Morrisons insights into the construction of race in
American Literature to any of the authors we have read this semester. This is an intentionally broad topic to allow you to
make (with hope) unexpected and original connections. While you will need to demonstrate an understanding of Morrisons
argument (and use her language to define your terms and guide your essay), feel free to adapt her argument to the author you
are studying. For example, although her argument is specifically about the Africanist presence in America, you might also
fairly apply her ideas to depictions of Native Americans or any culturally perceived other. You may choose to focus on the
constructionhidden or otherwiseof whiteness in the text. You might look at symbolism of light or darkness and consider
them, as Morrison does, as metaphors of racial presence. You might even think more broadly in terms of the othering of
gender or of the natural world. While the goal is to consider race in the literature, its expected that your support will come
from a close reading of the language of the literary text. The goal of this project is for you to think about the way American
Literature has developed as a result of the hybridity of cultural interaction and assimilation.
The assignment will be an extended argument/interpretation of the writing of one of the assigned authors in The Norton
Anthology. I specify author here instead of a specific text in the event that you would like to look at, say, a few poems from
an author like Bradstreet or Dickinson, or more than one essay by Emerson. I would like you, however, to keep your focus
limited and your reading close and specific. I am much more impressed by essays that examine quoted language carefully
and pay attention to textual details than I am by generalizations about an authors work. Remember: the focus of any literary
study begins with the words on the page, not with summaries or general impressions. In the coming classes, we will spend
some time discussing the elements of literary analysis to acquaint new writers with the conventions of essay writing and to
help more experienced writers continue to develop their skills.
Before you begin your essay, you will need to submit a proposal that names your author and your working argument. The
proposal will afford you the opportunity to declare a topic and decide on a working thesis (which may change; working is
the operative word here). Based on your proposal, I will offer suggestions for your essay and for your research process. I do
not expect outside sources/research for this assignment, simply because Morrison will provide the extrinsic perspective. If any
outside source material is used, however, it must be properly incorporated and cited in MLA style.
Your purpose in the final essay is to persuade your reader that your argument is credible and important. To do this, you must
have an interesting, original, and clearly stated thesis (which should be the last sentence of the first paragraph), and your
thesis needs to be clearly restated and proven throughout the essay with specific and well-chosen quotes that attest to your
close reading of the literary text
