Date Due: Thursday, March 3
Essay Length: 1500 words (4-5 pages)
Choose one of the topics below, and write a well-organized
and well-supported essay in response to it. Keep in mind that the topics are
intended to initiate your thinking. As always, your paper should include:
an
introductory paragraph with a thesis statement that presents an argument for
the reader
supporting
paragraphs that offer evidence to back your argument
transitions
that connect your ideas smoothly and logically
a
conclusion that sums up your argument and indicates why it is important
Both topics ask you to focus on either Conrad’s Heart
of Darkness or Morrison’s Song of Solomon, because focusing on one
text will probably produce a less general and more in-depth analysis. If you
choose, however, you can discuss both.
Topic #1
Focusing on either Conrad’s Heart of Darkness or
Morrison’s Song of Solomon, examine the idea that violence might be
justified when done in the name of a greater good or a higher cause.
Topic #2
Focusing on either Conrad’s Heart of Darkness or
Morrison’s Song of Solomon, examine what the text suggests about the
relationship between race and violence.
Instructions
Be
sure to focus your argument well, using evidence from the text itself to
support a clearly articulated thesis. Avoid generalities and don’t
be afraid of the specific details of the text. Remember that the text
is your friend.
Be
sure to take early drafts of your paper to the University Writing Center or
arrange with someone in class to exchange papers for peer review.
Be
sure to proofread your essays carefully, and consider giving your paper to a
friend or classmate for proofreading. Also read your paper out loud to
yourself before completing a final draft—make sure it sounds like spoken
English and not like paper-ese. Try for an easy, graceful, but not
overly casual writing style; assume a reader who knows the text, but has not
memorized every detail.
Remember
essays are never finished, only abandoned when we run out of time.