American Literature

What is the meaning of the behavior of Delia: “So she collected the soiled clothes on Saturday when she returned the clean things. Sunday night after church, she sorted them and put the white things to soak” (950) or idea that manifests through the position of a washwoman and the Sykes reaction to this? Why do you believe Delia stays with her husband so long but finally changes her mentality and tolerance of continued mistreatment and disrespect “She seized the iron skillet from the stove and struck a defensive pose” (951)? Zora Neale Hurston wrote “Sweat” during a time period that did not accept people of color so why did she write this book that could be considered a negative portrayal of African Americans and their culture through rural southern dialects and stereotypical behaviors (953)? From backstory of Delia’s past, she dealt with many years of brutality and suffering at the hands of her husband “Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating” (952).  Delia seems to rely on church through her weekly schedule, but does religion have an integral purpose to the story? If there were no mention of religion, would the situation differ or stay the same? Why? When the story ventures out the Jones’s home, we are presented with other characters ”The village men on Joe Clarke’s porch even chewed cane listlessly” (952), at two different climactic points of the story. Why does Hurston insert the village men on Joe Clarke’s porch into the story? What does their dialogue and comments say about them and society? Do they add anything to the story? Delia is tempted when she returns home to find Sykes home early and discovered a soapbox near the steps (954). What is the significance of what is inside the soapbox? Does this situation mirror a religious narrative?  Is Hurston presenting the cause and root of evil and suffering through this interaction between Delia and Sykes? When Delia finally stands firmly against Sykes and his demoralizing verbiage to voice her true feelings, “Ah hates you tub de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh” (955), why is this such a moment of satisfaction? What was Hurston’s message behind this?

What is the meaning of the behavior of Delia: “So she collected the soiled clothes on Saturday when she returned the clean things. Sunday night after church, she sorted them and put the white things to soak” (950) or idea that manifests through the position of a washwoman and the Sykes reaction to this? Why do you believe Delia stays with her husband so long but finally changes her mentality and tolerance of continued mistreatment and disrespect “She seized the iron skillet from the stove and struck a defensive pose” (951)? Zora Neale Hurston wrote “Sweat” during a time period that did not accept people of color so why did she write this book that could be considered a negative portrayal of African Americans and their culture through rural southern dialects and stereotypical behaviors (953)? From backstory of Delia’s past, she dealt with many years of brutality and suffering at the hands of her husband “Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating” (952).  Delia seems to rely on church through her weekly schedule, but does religion have an integral purpose to the story? If there were no mention of religion, would the situation differ or stay the same? Why? When the story ventures out the Jones’s home, we are presented with other characters ”The village men on Joe Clarke’s porch even chewed cane listlessly” (952), at two different climactic points of the story. Why does Hurston insert the village men on Joe Clarke’s porch into the story? What does their dialogue and comments say about them and society? Do they add anything to the story? Delia is tempted when she returns home to find Sykes home early and discovered a soapbox near the steps (954). What is the significance of what is inside the soapbox? Does this situation mirror a religious narrative?  Is Hurston presenting the cause and root of evil and suffering through this interaction between Delia and Sykes? When Delia finally stands firmly against Sykes and his demoralizing verbiage to voice her true feelings, “Ah hates you tub de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh” (955), why is this such a moment of satisfaction? What was Hurston’s message behind this?

What is the meaning of the behavior of Delia: “So she collected the soiled clothes on Saturday when she returned the clean things. Sunday night after church, she sorted them and put the white things to soak” (950) or idea that manifests through the position of a washwoman and the Sykes reaction to this? Why do you believe Delia stays with her husband so long but finally changes her mentality and tolerance of continued mistreatment and disrespect “She seized the iron skillet from the stove and struck a defensive pose” (951)? Zora Neale Hurston wrote “Sweat” during a time period that did not accept people of color so why did she write this book that could be considered a negative portrayal of African Americans and their culture through rural southern dialects and stereotypical behaviors (953)? From backstory of Delia’s past, she dealt with many years of brutality and suffering at the hands of her husband “Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating” (952).  Delia seems to rely on church through her weekly schedule, but does religion have an integral purpose to the story? If there were no mention of religion, would the situation differ or stay the same? Why? When the story ventures out the Jones’s home, we are presented with other characters ”The village men on Joe Clarke’s porch even chewed cane listlessly” (952), at two different climactic points of the story. Why does Hurston insert the village men on Joe Clarke’s porch into the story? What does their dialogue and comments say about them and society? Do they add anything to the story? Delia is tempted when she returns home to find Sykes home early and discovered a soapbox near the steps (954). What is the significance of what is inside the soapbox? Does this situation mirror a religious narrative?  Is Hurston presenting the cause and root of evil and suffering through this interaction between Delia and Sykes? When Delia finally stands firmly against Sykes and his demoralizing verbiage to voice her true feelings, “Ah hates you tub de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh” (955), why is this such a moment of satisfaction? What was Hurston’s message behind this?

analyze and research this piece of literature. Also, do research on the author of the piece of literature. Learn as much as you can about the writer who wrote that piece of literature. In the paper, attempt to answer the question, how does the writer’s life appear in the work/literature? In this paper, you’re equally writing about both, the life and work, and attempting to answer the question, how does the life appear in the work? The answer to this will more than likely be the thesis statement and focus of the paper.

The Historical Significance Paper (4-5 pages + Works Cited) The historical significance paper asks you to choose a single moment in history (not an entire war, era, etc.) and justify its significance to your audience (whom you may assume are not familiar with your topic). In this way, the paper is a bit like an argument paper, as your thesis statement will actually be a “claim” which you will defend using appropriate support. You may choose any topic you wish as long as it is at least twenty years old and it is not Pearl Harbor. • This paper must contain at least seven paragraphs— o one intro, concluding with thesis stating four reasons why the event is significant o one background paragraph describing the event without interpretation or opinion o four paragraphs devoted to each of four reasons stated in thesis o one conclusion • The paper must incorporate at least four sources. Evaluate all sources on authorship, sponsorship, and currency (keeping in mind that there may be many older sources that can work for you depending on how much time has passed since your historical event). • The paper must express an assertive, consistent tone. You are convincing your audience that your topic is one of—if not the—most important happenings in history. • The paper must be in MLA formatting style, must contain proper citations, and must contain a works cited page. If you’ve gone a paragraph without citing, you’ve gone too far. Be sure you have AT LEAST one citation per paragraph that reflects where the information in that paragraph came from. If you used several sources in one paragraph, cite them both where appropriate. ALWAYS CITE IMMEDIATELY AFTER A DIRECT QUOTE. • Quotes must be properly introduced. Remember to use quotes sparingly and only when necessary. Paraphrase when reporting dry facts and statistics. • Though this paper is greatly made up of your opinion/interpretation of the historical event, DO NOT USE “I” or “YOU.” You may wish to consult They Say/I Say (pp. 121-128) for ideas on how to assert your opinion creatively without using “I.” It’s easier tha

In your own words, summarize the main idea of Song of Myself. using 3 supporting details from the poem, explain how whitman expresses his views regarding the continuous cycle of life and death. “You are given a thesis to prove which is Whitman’s belief that life and death are part of a continuous cycle. Focus on Whitman looking at death as not being the absolute end. He somewhat supported reincarnation as he talks about where to look for him after he dies, what he says about grass, and where the old men and women are. These examples show the continuous cycle of life and death.  It is almost like he is supporting reincarnation as in coming back in the form of nature.”

For this assignment, I want you to explore a specific short story author ( Sherman Alexie). An annotated bibliography of 10 short stories by this author . This should contain entries for at least 10 short stories written by the selected author. Each entry should be 150 – 200 words in length. Each entry should conform to the following format:1. Cite the story in proper MLA format. Since all the stories will be from the same author, organize the citations alphabetically by the first word(s) in the story title. 2. Follow with a brief annotation that summarizes the story (approx. 3-5 sentences). You may quote from the story, but also include an in-text citation with the page number. The entire annotation should be in your own words; DO NOT copy sentences or phrases from an online source.3. In 1 or 2 sentences, explain the story’s themes and connections to the author’s other stories. Example – Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” 1930. Literature for Composition: An Introduction to Literature, edited by Sylvan Barnet et al., 10th ed., Pearson, 2014, pp. 249-56. The story begins with Emily Grierson’s death, and the townspeople remember her life: she was deemed “too good” for every suitor by her overbearing father, and she never married. When her father died, she would not let anyone take his body for three days. Emily later fell in love with Homer Barron, a Northerner and construction foreman. When Homer disappeared suddenly, the townspeople thought the two had broken up. Emily became a recluse and a bad smell was noticed around her house. When Emily died, the truth was revealed: she had poisoned Homer and kept his body in a bedroom upstairs. The theme of this work is the decay of the Old South and those who hold to its ways. This story is similar to “Barn Burning” in how it shows the loyalty of a Southern family and how too much loyalty can be a bad thing. (173 words) Grading- Each entry in your annotated bibliography will be worth 10 points according to the following rubric:QuestionsPointsCitationIs your story correctly cited in MLA format? Did you include all the necessary information?2)Summary – Does your summary provide an overview of the entire story? Is it clear and grammatically correct? 3)Themes- Did you clearly state the major themes of the story? Did you relate these themes to at least one other story by the author? 2Overall Forma – the first line touching the left margin and every following line indented by ½ inch? Is this entry in alphabetical order? Is the entry between 150 – 200 words long? Ressources: Sherman Alexie, in full Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr., (born October 7, 1966, Wellpinit, Spokane Indian Reservation, near Spokane, Washington, U.S.), Native American writer whose poetry, short stories, novels, and films about the lives of American Indians won him an international following. (from Encyclopaedia Brittanica (Links to an external site.)) Click here to read three of Alexie’s stories online. (Links to an external site.) More stories by Alexie: A Good Story (Links to an external site.), Indian Education (Links to an external site.), Superman and Me (Links to an external site.), Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock (Links to an external site.), Captivity (Links to an external site.), Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest (Links to an external site.), Happy Trails (Links to an external site.), War Dances.

FINAL ESSAY (25% of course grade) ITLT 42: Lie, Cheat, and Steal: Short Stories of the Decameron INSTRUCTIONS Please read these instructions carefully since they lay out all expectations! Format: separate title page with identifying information, text double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, 1” margins on all sides, word count provided at end. Length: Please keep your discussion within the parameters of 1200-1500 words. For every unit of 1-100 words you fall below the minimum of 1200, your grade on the essay will be penalized a full letter grade. If you go beyond the maximum 1500, I will read only as far as 1600 words and evaluate at that stopping point. Please aim for quality and precision in what/how you write. If you have the tendency to be wordy, you will need to edit: organize your thoughts, focus your analysis, provide textual citations as clear evidence of your analysis. And, after you’ve done all that, proofread and edit your work closely to make your points within 1600 words. Sources: The only source you need to use is our text. No outside research is necessary, and I specifically ask you not to undertake it. You should be able to address any of the topics solely with the work you have already done in the course. (You can, of course, also use any of the online materials I’ve prepared for the course; there is no need to cite those materials if you reference them.) Editing and proofreading: Carefully edit and proofread your essay before submitting it. Use spellcheck, but also go back and re-read your work afterwards since spellcheck cannot correct grammatical and structural errors or differences in word choice between homonyms such as it’s/ its, bare/bear, grisly/grizzly, nun/none, friar/fryer, whole/hole, where/wear/ware, there/their/they’re, etc. Your work should not contain many language errors, incomplete sentences, run-on sentences, and/or faulty punctuation. At the university level, everyone should be able to write a reasonably error-free, readable, academic essay. Grammar and spelling need not be perfect, but they should be solid. Academic language and tone: This is an academic essay: word choices and tone are important. Your grade will suffer if your writing frequently demonstrates the abovementioned language errors as well as informal turns of phrase used in everyday conversation. Academic writing avoids all informal language as well as references to I/you. The expressions “I believe” or “I think” should not appear in an academic essay. Also take care to avoid expressing opinions since the essay is not intended as a discussion of personal, moral perspectives or reactions. Instead, the essay discusses how the text/the tales/the narrators develop themes and how situations lend themselves, guided always by the point of view of the narrator, to the interpretations you want to demonstrate. In effect, the tale itself and the storyteller direct all our interpretations; your job is to highlight how that is done. Also, please avoid anachronistic contrasts/comparisons like “Nowadays, women have more freedom” or any generalizing comment of this sort; keep your analysis focused within the tale and within the Decameron as a whole itself. Do not move beyond the text into our understandably very different 21st-century world. For example, here is a sentence that needs editing to avoid some common pitfalls (informal tone and word choices, expression of opinion, comparison to 21st century): “Basically, I think Boccaccio wants to show that Ghismonda is a really strong woman especially for her times.” To edit, eliminate “I think” and “really” as well as the reference to the time period and the meaningless filler word “basically”; get right to the point. The point/thesis is how the tale conveys the protagonist’s power: “The tale demonstrates that Ghismonda is a powerful woman by A, B and C…” Content and structure: 1. First, give your essay an interesting title. 2. After that, do not engage in a generalizing introduction about Boccaccio and the Decameron. Instead, present the chosen topic in a short introduction (3-4 sentences) that 1) immediately references the tale(s) you will discuss and that 2) contains a thesis statement (= what you will demonstrate in your analysis). Note: If I cannot readily identify your thesis statement in your introduction, your essay is not structured well: as a result, your entire essay might very well drift from topic to topic without an essential anchor. A thesis statement is the anchor: it is your job as the writer of the essay to guide your reader; it is not your reader’s job to try to search for the guiding principle in your essay. 3. Each paragraph within the body of your essay should also contain a readily-identifiable topic statement. 4. Next, you must supply a brief conclusion. A conclusion does not simply re-state everything you’ve already demonstrated: instead, it provides one final, new reflection on what you’ve demonstrated in your essay. Try to think of the conclusion as a final, intriguing thought with which to leave your reader. 5. Lastly, provide a word count at the end of your document. This count should not include information such as your name, my name, the name of the course, date, etc. Begin the count with your title. Reminder: your essay should contain 1200-1500 words. Citation format: You must make direct references to the text, especially when discussing stylistic features of the author and/or pointing out themes and perspectives. Cite those references using MLA format (= simply give the page number or e-book location number in parentheses after the end quote). If you need to refer to a tale in general, simply cite it by Day and Number between parentheses, for example, “In the tale of Andreuccio (2.5), the protagonist is a naïve, foolish, and vain young man, ripe for the picking by a wily prostitute and the grave robbers he encounters in Naples.” Submission: Each student should submit the essay via Turnitin and follow up via email attachment. Turnitin scans for plagiarism; any evidence of plagiarism will result in a zero on this portion of the course grade and the immediate filing of an academic dishonesty report with the appropriate academic dean. The back-up copy via email attachment is your proof on on-time completion of the essay in case the Turnitin system malfunctions. Deadline: The deadline for the essay is indicated on Blackboard and on the course calendar. Grade penalties for late submission will be announced on Blackboard. Grading: I evaluate your essay in terms of 1. what you say (=clear thesis statement, content of the essay, and use/analysis of appropriate citations to demonstrate your points: 50%), and 2. how you say it (=overall organization and paragraphing, use of academic language and tone, avoidance of repeated grammatical and spelling errors, use of complete sentences, avoidance of run-on sentences, correct punctuation: 50%). Choose one of the two topics. Each topic requires you to apply what you have learned about Boccaccio’s Decameron. You read an additional novella independently and then contextualize your understanding of it alongside two other novellas that we have examined during the course. Each topic naturally lends itself to an essay comprised of an introduction with a thesis statement, three full paragraphs, and a conclusion. Topic 2 Boccaccio’s Women: The Tale of Madonna Filippa (6.7) Focus on the symbolic value of Madonna Filippa, Ghismonda (4.1), and Lisabetta (4.5) in their respective novellas. What does each figure represent in the context of her tale? What each protagonist does in her tale is, of course, important, but take care to avoid plot summary in your essay. Your brief plot references should instead serve the purpose of analyzing each protagonist’s symbolic function/role/value as a female character. Why is she the center of the tale? What message does she convey? Although the three female protagonists are very different, is there something that you could argue that they collectively contribute to the topic of women’s roles in the stories of the Decameron? The answer to that question is your thesis.

You should discuss any three of the literary elements: style, tone, plot, characters, point of view, symbolism… You may discuss any of the critical thinking ideas: human nature, wisdom, truth, justice, freedom,? or virtue.

Part I According to the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who first introduced literary analysis and analyzed tragedy in his Poetics, 2400 years ago, a tragic hero must: Be born of high estate—that is, a person of noble birth with strong character and noble qualities Possess a tragic, often fatal flaw, or mistake that leads to the hero’s downfall (either state or family or both) Ultimately recognize and come to terms with the flaw or mistake that has led to tragic doom (anagnorisis) Suffer greatly because of this flaw or mistake Based on Aristotle’s criteria, who do you think is the true tragic hero of the play. Develop your answer in paragraph form with sufficient and relevant evidence from the play for support. Part II Both Antigone and Creon defend rights that they believe are sacred. What rights are in conflict? Is there any room for compromise? Do you sympathize with Antigone or Creon? Again use paragraph form and provide support from the play.