Paper instructions:
Technical details: 750-1000 words; standard academic format (hard copy formatting: double-spaced; 11- or 12-point font; one-inch margins). No research beyond our course texts is necessary for success in this project, however, should you consult outside sources, academic convention holds that any and all research must be cited properly. You should use MLA citations. Each sentence (yes, sentence) that contains direct quotations or paraphrases (where you’ve rephrased research in your own words) must have a parenthetical citation. You must also include a “Works Cited” section. If you are quoting from one of our texts, you need only give the page number, e.g. (34) or Author page number, e.g. (Coetzee 34), if you’re citing more than one of our texts. Drafts and due dates: Two hard copies of your first draft due on Tuesday, April 22nd at the start of class. Final draft due electronically by 11:59 p.m., Sun. April 27th.

Consider words versus meanings. To do so, choose a relatively short speech from Waiting for the Barbarians (or Nervous Conditions or the poem in question) that you find intriguing/upsetting/ thought-provoking/confusing, etc. in terms of the complexity of language, communication, miscommunication, translation, or understanding. Retype the passage, giving a page citation. (The quotation doesn’t add to your word count.) Then analyze the passage in terms of both form and content. In other words, do not simply summarize what the passage says, but discuss how it works. Questions to consider (but these are NOT a checklist for constructing your response): What is the tone of the passage? What are the emotions involved, if any? What are some of the ways language and communication are shown to be complex? How does the author convey multiple or contradictory layers of meaning? Why would s/he do so? How does this speech/passage add to or complicate our understanding of what is important to the characters (or important to Coetzee; or important to our understanding of some aspect of imperialism)? How does this passage work in terms of a related theme (or themes) that you’ve been noticing in the novel? What does it add to our understanding of a particular issue or event? What is interesting in its language or imagery that recalls other important moments or themes in the novel?