Critical Essay Assignment
DUE: 4/21

THE ASSIGNMENT:

Write a 6-7 page critical analysis in which you compare and/or contrast two of the literary works in our Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volumes A, B, & C. Your paper must have a clear claim (or thesis) that tells your readers why what you’re showing them is important to the text itself; how elements in the text help us to better understand the culture in which it was created; or, alternatively, why the claim is significant (in a critical context). The two texts you critique/analyze cannot be by the same author. You will use specific evidence from the two works you have chosen, and from your research( the 5 academic sources), to support your thesis. You will also cite this material following MLA guidelines. The paper should also include the use of verbs of attribution. To receive full credit, your paper must also have a title that attempts to reflect the argument, or analysis, you are presenting. In addition, I will not correct assignments that are emailed in on a day the student is absent (unless prior arrangements have been made).

For this assignment, a 6 page paper ends at, or near, the bottom of page 6. And a 7 page paper ends at or near the bottom of page 7. This assignment asks for a minimum of 6 full pages, and a maximum of 7 full pages. Your paper should end somewhere between the bottom of page 6 and the top of page 8. Any essay that does not meet the minimum, or exceeds the maximum, will not receive full credit. (For additional guidelines, see the Grading Rubric, posted on D2L.)

Important note: You must analyze the relationship between the source information and the texts, not just summarize each of them. This analysis should attempt to support the thesis presented.

Due Date: The 6-7 page critical essay is due at the beginning of class, on 4/21.

All assignments must also be submitted to the appropriate drop-box (to be checked for plagiarism or unoriginal material); assignments with a score of 33% or more will not be corrected – these papers will be returned, and the authors of these papers will be given a week to revise them. A revised paper with a score of 33% or more will receive a zero. Any assignment with a score of 66% or more will automatically receive a zero. Cite and quote the author correctly and all summarized and paraphrased portions of the paper have to be cited
RESEARCH:
(An ‘A’ paper will use at least five outside academic sources and/or texts, in addition to the two texts you choose in our Norton Anthology). An academic source, for this essay, is considered to be an essay, book, chapter, or article, that presents a discernible thesis, and is found in, or through, the Charles C. Sherrod Library (articles and essays should be found through JSTOR or other recognized academic search engines). You must cite these sources in your essay and include a works cited page, following MLA format.

AUDIENCE/RHETORICAL CONTEXT:
All assignments in this course should be written for a college audience. Aim at people who are educated at levels between first-year university students and professors. To achieve an A or a B on this critical essay, your language, style, tone, and sentence structure should reflect your audience and purpose.
Note: To receive an “A,” an essay or SWA must be an “A,” both analytically and rhetorically. An essay or SWA that is analytically an “A,” but, rhetorically a “B” (or vice versa), will receive a grade that is between an “A” and a “B” (that is, an A- or B+); an essay or SWA that is analytically an “B,” but, rhetorically a “C” (or vice versa), will receive a grade that is between an “B” and a “C” (that is, an B- or C+), e

The text articles to be used have been uploaded to additional materials these are two of the sources that need to be used, but not as the academic sources. I have also uploaded the annotated bibliography for this paper, which includes how the texts should be cited. Also the other 3 sources from the annotated bibliography can be used as 3 of the academic sources. I have uploaded the two text sources separate that way you can see which ones they are and how they should look on the work cited page. Please follow instructions.