frankenstein essay
tIMELINE:
LAB DAY: May 29-30
PEER EDIT DAY: June 2nd (saved to Google Drive; shared with [email protected] )
DUE DATE: June 3rd by 11:59pm via Google Drive (everything must be edited/resolved or the paper will be marked as "draft status" and receive an incomplete for the final)
PEER EDIT DAY: June 2nd (saved to Google Drive; shared with [email protected] )
DUE DATE: June 3rd by 11:59pm via Google Drive (everything must be edited/resolved or the paper will be marked as "draft status" and receive an incomplete for the final)
Read disclaimer carefully….
*In order to be successful on this paper, you may have to conduct outside research. You also MUST have a firm grasp of the plot in order to begin dissecting for deeper meaning. Papers that DO NOT meet MLA format, DO NOT include quotations that are PROPERLY cited, DO NOT include a work (singular) or works (plural) cited, DO NOT demonstrate analytic skill, and/or DO NOT argue a debatable analytic thesis statement will receive NO MORE than 50%. ALL PAPERS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE DRIBE UNLESS YOU SPEAK TO MS. CAFARELLI AHEAD OF TIME.
*In order to be successful on this paper, you may have to conduct outside research. You also MUST have a firm grasp of the plot in order to begin dissecting for deeper meaning. Papers that DO NOT meet MLA format, DO NOT include quotations that are PROPERLY cited, DO NOT include a work (singular) or works (plural) cited, DO NOT demonstrate analytic skill, and/or DO NOT argue a debatable analytic thesis statement will receive NO MORE than 50%. ALL PAPERS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE DRIBE UNLESS YOU SPEAK TO MS. CAFARELLI AHEAD OF TIME.
- Your paper MUST follow all MLA guidelines, including a work(s) cited.
- Use the video on the class website, writing center page to guide your setup
- 3+ pages
- Arguable thesis (your analysis paper is about proving your thesis)
- An introduction and conclusion
- Ample text support (direct quotations that are properly embedded, summarized information, and paraphrased information)
- It MUST demonstrate a DEEPER understanding of the text- this is not a book report, you are not summarizing the storyline. You are taking the storyline and proving an academic thesis.
Choices for Criticisms.. (choose a criticism, then use a question to guide you about your thesis)
Psychoanalytical (Freudian): How can characters' behavior, narrative events, and/or images be explained in terms of psychoanalytic concepts of any kind (for example...fear or fascination with death, sexuality - which includes love and romance as well as sexual behavior - as a primary indicator of psychological identity or the operations of ego-id-superego ?
Psychoanalytical (Jungian): What connections can we make between elements of the text and the archetypes? (Mask, Shadow, Anima, Animus)? How do the characters in the text mirror the archetypal figures? (Great Mother or nurturing Mother, Whore, destroying Crone, Lover, Destroying Angel)? How does the text mirror the archetypal narrative patterns? (Quest, Night-Sea-Journey)? How symbolic is the imagery in the work? How does the protagonist reflect the hero of myth? Does the “hero” embark on a journey in either a physical or spiritual sense? Is there a journey to an underworld or land of the dead? What trials or ordeals does the protagonist face? What is the reward for overcoming them?
Structural: Using a specific structuralist framework ...how should the text be classified in terms of its genre? In other words, what patterns exist within the text that make it a part of other works like it? (Gothicism/Romanticism)
Biographical: How does the biographical life of Mary Shelley directly influence the text?
Feminist: How is the relationship between men and women portrayed? What are the power relationships between men and women (or characters assuming male/female roles)? How are male and female roles defined? What constitutes masculinity and femininity? How do characters embody these traits? Do characters take on traits from opposite genders? How so? How does this change others’ reactions to them? What does the work reveal about the operations (economically, politically, socially, or psychologically) of patriarchy? What does the work imply about the possibilities of sisterhood as a mode of resisting patriarchy? What does the work say about women's creativity? What does the history of the work's reception by the public and by the critics tell us about the operation of patriarchy? What role the work play in terms of women's literary history and literary tradition? (Tyson)
Moral/Ethical: What moral/ethical questions does the text raise? What statement does the author make through the text about trends in values and social pacing? What lesson is the text ultimately serving to convey to the reader about life/character?
Historical/Cultural: What language/characters/events present in the work reflect the current events of the author’s day? Are there words in the text that have changed their meaning from the time of the writing? How are such events interpreted and presented? How are events' interpretation and presentation a product of the culture of the author? Does the work's presentation support or condemn the event? Can it be seen to do both? How does this portrayal criticize the leading political figures or movements of the day? How does the literary text function as part of a continuum with other historical/cultural texts from the same period...?
How can we use a literary work to "map" the interplay of both traditional and subversive discourses circulating in the culture in which that work emerged and/or the cultures in which the work has been interpreted? How does the work consider traditionally marginalized populations?
Explore such topics as developments in science, exploration, and/or nature v nurture.
Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements
1.Determine what kind of paper you are writing:
· An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
· An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
· An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.
2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.
4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.
Thesis Statement Examples
Example of an analytical thesis statement:
An analysis of the college admission process reveals one challenge facing counselors: accepting students with high test scores or students with strong extracurricular backgrounds.
The paper that follows should:
· explain the analysis of the college admission process
· explain the challenge facing admissions counselors
Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:
The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending class, and socializing with peers.
The paper that follows should:
· explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers
Example of an argumentative thesis statement:
High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.
The paper that follows should:
· present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college
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Sample Introductions and Titles:
Thomas Hardy and Charles Darwin: Propelling Concepts of the Victorian Era through Published Literature
The customs of the Victorian society have placed emphasis on a few specific issues, including class distinction and the role of women; more specifically, “Sexing the Arche” became an acceptably concept. This idea that fertility and superior gene selection should be the main focus of a community and its members has provided inspiration for such writers as Thomas Hardy and Charles Darwin. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy uses his fictional depiction and main character t logically and symbolically represent his current world views. Similarly, Charles Darwin also uses his essays to propel his theses. The difference between these two writers lies in their styles; one novelistic and one philosophical, but their points and motivations are one in the same. Thomas Hardy and Charles Darwin are Victorian writers who use their writing as a means of expressing society’s views of women, status, and evolution.
Deconstructing Sterne’s Chapter XX!
According to David Cowle’s The Critical Experience, the critical approach of deconstruction challenges the way we examine ourselves, our world, and our literature; furthermore, deconstruction challenges the very base of what each literary text presents. Authors themselves tend to contradict themselves in the very core of what they wish to pursue in their arguments. This contradictory element is present in Laurence Sterne’s “Chapter XXXI.” Here, Stern presents the legend of the Tomb of Two Lovers; the legend tells the story of epic love, a man and a woman separated by power and jealousy, and then drawn back to each other by their mutual passion and devotion. The conclusion of the story is such that the two lovers are so immersed in their desire that the culmination of their final reunion kills them. In other words, their love is so strong that the human form can’t handle it, and only in an afterlife is the pair able to fully indulge in their union; hence deconstructing the very notion of epic love.
The Inevitable Corruption of Main Reigning as King
…Once again Grecian tragedy can be attributed for an early implication of what happens when men take on great roles and become kings, and the warped view of reason kingship includes. Two “great men” within Sophoklean tragedy provide examples of such a corrupt transformation and downfall: Oedipus the King versus Oedipus the man, and Theban King Kreon versus Kreon, man of Thebes. Both of these men began their downfalls when power became more important than logic and reason, and the will of te gods was challenged by their own comman; thus, only when they were removed form a position of absolute power, and belittled by fate, were they both able to return to a state of humbled humanity; hence it can be examined through the Sophoklean texts of Oedipus Tyrannos and Antigone how two men became “great” kings, lost their senses to absolute power, and only became men again after a complete and total breakdown of authority.
Read disclaimer carefully….
*In order to be successful on this paper, you may have to conduct outside research. You also MUST have a firm grasp of the plot in order to begin dissecting for deeper meaning. Papers that DO NOT meet MLA format, DO NOT include quotations that are PROPERLY cited, DO NOT include a work (singular) or works (plural) cited, DO NOT demonstrate analytic skill, and/or DO NOT argue a debatable analytic thesis statement will receive NO MORE than 50%. ALL PAPERS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED VIA GOOGLE DRIBE UNLESS YOU SPEAK TO MS. CAFARELLI AHEAD OF TIME.