Essay 3 Instructions This unit will culminate in a polished essay that argues a thesis regarding Dashiell Hammetts The Maltese Falcon. The thesis should express an argumentative opinion developed in response to one of the following prompts: 1. What motivates Sam Spade? To what does he demonstrate a commitment? What are his ethics? Is he moral? Is he a hero or anti-hero? Is there are character that effectively serves as a foil or antagonist to Spade? How does this character (or others) develop our sense of Spades internal logic? 2. Sam Spade has three women in his life. Compare his relationships with Effie Perine, Iva Archer, and Brigid OShaughnessy. What is the purpose of each to Spade? Does Spade have real feelings for any of them? Does he trust any of them? How do they work in the novel? 3. Analyze the relevance of the Flitcraft parable to the novel. What does it mean and what does it reveal about Spade and the other characters? How does it color our reading of the entire novel? 4. Consider how money motivates characters throughout the novel. What message is being sent about the pursuit of wealth? Your final product will be a 1,000 word essay, formatted and cited according to MLA specificationswith MLA layout, Works Cited, and in-text citations. The entire essay will consist of your opinions and your quotation and paraphrase of the novel to support those opinions. When you are quoting and paraphrasing Hammett, you will include in-text citations to indicate the page number/numbers in your novel where the information was found. Direct quotation of the novel will not exceed 10% of the essays entire word count (that is 100 words total). You will demonstrate your ability to use both quotation and paraphrase in the service of your argument, to cite both types of incorporations of Hammetts work according to MLA specifications, and to clearly differentiate between Hammetts ideas and your own. Failing to provide in-text citations for your paraphrase and/or quotation will result in a zero score. Youll want to review carefully and make sure you include all of the elements of the essay as described: MLA formatting in all regards; a compelling introduction that culminates in a single-sentence, argumentative thesis; well-developed paragraphs with strong topic sentences and clearly organized, presented, and cited evidence; and logical transitions and rhetorical organization. Must have original title. Essay must start off with a hook followed by a thesis statement. Paragraphs must contain strong topic sentences
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