Gender Norms

This is your assignment: write an essay, 2,400 words in length, in which you put at least two works from our course in conversation on a shared topic. You could focus on character, theme, setting, symbolism, imagery, maturation, gender norms, etc. You should not use any outside sources, but be sure to include a bibliography in MLA style that lists the novels you choose. As with Paper 1, you need to include plenty of quoted evidence from the texts as you make your argument. Papers that only use paraphrases of texts as evidence will start at a grade of 75/C, reflecting average work. Your thesis statement should be active (makes a claim) and significant (answers the “so what” question). In other words, your thesis and main ideas should make a claim about the texts that could be argued and should also tell us the significance of this claim: So what if X is happening in these texts? What do we stand to learn by thinking about your claim? For example, “Ursula’s character is known for her practicality” stops short of going far enough as a thesis statement. Instead, “Although Ursula enacts very practical domestic roles in the Buendía household, ultimately Marquez reveals the haunting magic of her daily routine in her visions and imaginings such that it is hard for her to disentangle reality from illusion. This shows us an even greater tragic ending for her.” The second thesis makes an assertion about Ursula’s character in the domestic sphere, but more specifically says what we stand to learn about her: that the magical realism in her later years makes her a more tragic figure. Questions about the assignment? Please ask! Your essay should be typed in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and numbered pages. If you exceed the word limit just a bit, that is fine, but your essay should be 2,400 words minimum. Be sure to give your paper an interesting title. “One Hundred Years of Solitude and Wide Sargasso Sea” is not a very specific title that leads me to want to read more! But rather, “Unexpected Meaning: The Haunting Magic of Domesticity in Wide Sargasso Sea and One Hundred Years of Solitude” is much more appealing, thought provoking, and specific. Please be sure to put your name, the course number, section number, and the date in the top left corner of the first page. The title should be centered below this information. Cover pages are not required. Keep the writing formal: no first person and write out all contractions, etc.