English 2111 paper 1

Address one of the options below. Read the following requirements carefully.

  • 4-6 pages in length, 1200 words minimum, 1800 words maximum (in the body of the essay, excluding headers, name, date, title, works cited entries, etc.).

  • Formatted carefully to MLA guidelines outlined on the "simple stuff" web page.

  • A minimum of six quotations from the work or works you examine is required—you may do well to offer more quotes to illustrate your claims effectively.

  • I'm not expecting research with this paper, but you may, if you like, incorporate some research, offering quotations or other information from secondary sources of legitimate scholarly criticism or commentary on the work(s) you examine. ("Legitimate" means truly scholarly sources, so items from the popular press, reviews of performances, encyclopedias, and study aids such as Cliff's Notes, Shmoop, SparkNotes, Master Plots, etc., are not acceptable.) You should most emphatically not consult any web sources outside of our course materials while preparing your paper. For access to scholarly articles and other materials in full-text electronic form, see the MGA Library website.

  • Present only your OWN ideas: Avoid consulting any sources on the world-wide-web at any point in the writing process. Every scrap of each sentence in the paper--start to finish--must present your own ideas, your own interpretation or your own thoughts on the topic and/or story. Under no circumstances should you use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in composing, editing, or "polishing" the essay (including Grammarly and other such online "writing aids").
  • Document all quotations and other source material according to MLA guidelines as outlined on my "quotations" page, including the MLA conventions for citing poetry (Q4). A works cited page is necessary.

  • Paper proposals: compose a paper proposal in the form of a topic sentence outline

    • beginning with the question your essay will strive to answer,

    • followed by each body paragraph's complete topic sentence in direct answer of that question, as it might appear in the essay itself,

    • and ending with a thesis statement that a) answers the question you are addressing, and b) ties together the primary points in your topic sentences.

      The question you raise to begin this outline should be a literal question—an interrogative sentence ending in a question mark, not merely a statement of what the topic or subject is. For full explanation of topic sentence outlines, including examples that would be good models to follow, see the paper proposal assignment page.

    Submit your topic sentence outline to the D2L dropbox for paper proposals.

Options:
Focus only on works we have read for this course.

  • The continuing relevance for contemporary American readers of any major thematic issues in any two or three of these works we've read thus far: Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Antigone, Medea, and The Aeneid

  • Comparison and contrast of the heroic ideal (what makes an ideal hero) in The Odyssey and The Aeneid

  • Comparison and contrast of religion in any two or three of these works we've read thus far: Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Antigone, and The Aeneid; essentially, discuss the involvement of the gods in the mortal world in any two or three of these works

  • Examination of the cultural values and ideals of ancient Greece suggested in in any two of the Greek works we've read (The Odyssey, Antigone, and Medea or the Roman cultural values and ideals as portrayed in The Aeneid.

  • The Aeneid as propaganda: or its portrayal of "history."

  • Examination of the depiction of women in any two or three of these works: Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Antigone, Medea, The Aeneid, and the poetry of either Sappho or Catullus.

blue bulletI encourage you to seek my help with your paper. If my office hours don't fit your schedule, we can make other arrangements.

Tips:

  • Offer concrete evidence (i.e. quotations) to support every one of your major assertions.
  • Make every body ¶'s topic sentence answer the paper proposal question directly.
  • Avoid plot summary: see nugget 1; introduce all quotes: see nugget 3.
  • Sweat the details: see the "Golden Rules," "Nuggets," "Simple Stuff," and "Quotations" pages and proofread carefully.
  • Email me if you have questions or problems.

    Step up your game using the Writing Center! Tutoring, in person and online, is available in the Writing Center and in Student Success Centers (SSC) on all campuses. The Macon campus Writing Center is in TEB 226 and the SSC is in the lower level of the Library building. You can book tutoring sessions on the Macon or Cochran campus or fully online at mga.mywconline.com/. The SSC website also posts tutoring schedules for other centers across the five campuses, including the Writing Center (in Macon, TEB 226: 478-471-3542). All tutoring centers across the five campuses are free of charge.

    Be sure to take a copy of this assignment with you to any tutoring session, or show your tutor this assignment page on the web.