Class: Renaissance Women In Literature (3 Page Essay)

PAPER ONE:

Your Writing Prompt: Men, Women, Power

Thus far, we have witnessed some of the cultural roots of what would one day become the British Empire, a major world power up until the late 1940s (not that England is not a power today – it is – but the country lost India in 1947, the year now marked as the official setting of the sun on the old Empire). Given that so much was about power then, we should ask, in light of this class, what kind of power women had or did not have.

For your first formal short essay, think about the concept of ‘power’ and how it plays out in one of the texts we’ve read. Explore how the text you’ve chosen defines ‘power’ and show how gender demonstrates and complicates it.

This is a short paper, so state what you mean by power early on – that is define your term according to other literary theory you’ve read or by some context given in the readings Then state your thesis – right away. Then go on and prove your point through close reading.

Paper length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced.

Outside sources: You need not consult outside sources for this first paper if you do not wish to. I am looking at your ability to create an original thesis and defend that thesis using lots of textual evidence and close reading. If you do wish to seek outside knowledge because you, like I, often find it impossible to say anything without seeking what everyone else is saying, I invite you to do so – you will not get extra points for doing this though.

Make sure everything is cited correctly according to MLA standards. If you don’t know how something is referred to in an essay (how is a play cited, for example? How are poem lines cited?), LOOK IT UP or ASK on the MLA question board I’ve created in our Discussion List. Ask a question here or answer one – HELP ONE ANOTHER ACE THIS COURSE.