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Length: approximately 1,500 words
Here are some possible essay themes:
Justice and Injustice
Innocence and Guilt
The Use (or Misuse) of Parable
Self-esteem and Self-abasement
The Labyrinthine
The Nature of Power and Authority
The Individual and the Collective
Meaning and Absurdity
Joseph K. and Franz Kafka
The Trial
and the Modern World
Choose one theme to pursue. You are allowed to come up with your own, although I would like
you to clear it with me first. Essays should be around six pages (not including the title page or
bibliography). The themes are broad, but part of the assignment involves your coming up with a
clear and effective thesis or argument about your theme in relation to The Trial. Your essay
should have an introductory paragraph that closes with a proper and specific thesis statement,
paragraphs organized around topics that reinforce your thesis, and a strong concluding
paragraph.
For this essay I want you to use at least four critical resources, so check with the library to find
the most appropriate books and/or articles. Note: Internet sources such as Wikipedia, Douban,
SparkNotes, and CliffsNotes are not critical sources. Please ask me if you have any questions
about the validity of a source.
I want you to use the critics to aid your argument, but not to supplant it. Sometimes you may
agree with the critic, but your argument is often enhanced by having an opinion to spar against.
Be specific, focus in on key scenes or elements, and make sure that your argument is well
supported with evidence and quotations from the works. When it comes to quoting from the text,
comment on the quotes you use and do not simply allow them to speak for themselves. If you
have any questions while writing your essays, or if you would like me to see rough drafts, please
let me know
Tips on Quoting
For quotes in verse:
Following the exit of the rest of the court, Hamlet wishes aloud for his own death: “O
that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw and resolve it into a dew” (1.2.29-30).
For quotes in verse over three lines:
Following the exit of the rest of the court, Hamlet wishes aloud for his own death:
O that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve it into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter. (1.2.129-32)
For quotes (either in verse or in prose) that are set aside, either use a
colon (as above) or integrate the quote into the sentence that precedes it:
Following the exit of the rest of the court, Hamlet wishes aloud that
. . . [his] too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve it into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter. (1.2.129-32)
(note that for quotes set aside you indent twice for each line. Also, for quotes set aside you place the
period and two spaces before the parentheses)
For quotes in prose:
Polonius slowly begins to realize that Hamlet may not be as mad as he seems: “How
pregnant his replies are! A happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity
could not so prosperously be delivered of” (2.2.207-10).
For quotes in prose over three lines:
Hamlet mocks Polonius when he describes the book he has been reading thus:
Slanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men have grey
beards beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging thick amber
or plum-tree gum, and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with
most weak hams . . . . (2.2.196-200)
(note that for quotes set aside in prose you do not follow the line stops provided by the text. Instead,
write the prose out as it is and allow that line stops to occur when they normally would)
2
When integrating a quote into your sentence, make sure that it fits
grammatically:
Following the exit of the rest of the court, Hamlet wishes aloud for his own death.
However, since “the Everlasting” has “fixed / His canon ’gainst self-slaughter” (1.2.13132), Hamlet cannot commit suicide.
Amazed by Hamlet’s “pregnant . . . replies” (2.2.207-08), Polonius slowly begins to
realize that Hamlet may not be as mad as he seems.
For some quotes you may have to change from past to present tense, from plural to singular, etc. in
order to make the sentence grammatically correct:
Hamlet declares to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that “dream[s]” are only “shadow[s]”
(2.2.258).
Hamlet is perplexed by all that is happening around him, declaring that “there is
something in this more than natural, if [only] philosophy could find it out” (2.2.362-63).
Hamlet chides Polonius’ taste in drama, for he “sleeps” unless he can see “a jig or a tale
of bawdry” (2.2.491).
Inspired by the players’ acting, Hamlet hits on the idea of “set[ting] down and
insert[ing]” “some dozen or sixteen lines” into their play for the performance before the
court (2.2.529-30).
When to include the title of the work in the parenthetical reference:
Many critics believe that Shakespeare may have instructed his fellow actors at the Globe
Theatre thus:
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the
tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as life the
town-crier had spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your
hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I
may say, the whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a
temperance that may give it smoothness. (Hamlet 3.2.1-8)
For many critics, Hamlet’s advice to the players may be similar to the kind of advice
Shakespeare may have given to his fellow actors at the Globe Theatre:
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the
tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as life the
town-crier had spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your
hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I
may say, the whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a
temperance that may give it smoothness. (3.2.1-8)
3
When quoting from a critic who only has one entry in your bibliography:
Robert N. Watson notes that although “revenge and ambition had meanings in
Shakespeare’s world significantly different from” today, “we can still easily recognize
them” nevertheless (160).
Although “revenge and ambition had meanings in Shakespeare’s world significantly
different from” today, “we can still easily recognize them” nevertheless (Watson 160).
(note that quotes from critics that are more than three lines should be set aside the same way that the
prose quotation above is)
If you are quoting from a critic who has more than one entry in your
bibliography, include the title of the book or article instead of the
critic’s name:
Robert N. Watson notes that although “revenge and ambition had meanings in
Shakespeare’s world significantly different from” today, “we can still easily recognize
them” nevertheless (“Tragedies of Revenge and Ambition” 160).
(note that the titles of articles—such as “Tragedies of Revenge and Ambition”—are in quotation
marks while the titles of books—such as The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy—are
in italics)
For your bibliography, use MLA format. Place all of your entries in
alphabetical order with a space between each entry. Also note that if
someone has more than one entry, place “–.” in place of their name and
arrange the two (or more) entries alphabetically according to title (as
with the Peter Brook example below). If the title is the same (as with
the Julius Caesar example below) arrange the entries alphabetically
according to the next available designation (as with the editor in the
example below):
Barton, John. Playing Shakespeare: An Actor’s Guide. New York: Anchor, 1984.
Print.
Barton, John, and Hall, Peter. The Wars of the Roses, Adapted for the Royal Shakespeare
Company from William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts I, II, III and Richard III.
London: BBC, 1970. Print.
Bate, Jonathan, and Jackson, Russell, eds. The Oxford Illustrated History of Shakespeare
on Stage. Oxford: OUP, 2001. Print.
4
Beauman, Sally. The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades. Oxford:
OUP, 1982. Print.
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. London: Penguin, 1968. Print.
–. The Open Door. London: Anchor, 2005. Print.
Chambers, Colin. Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company: Creativity and the Institution.
London: Routledge, 2004. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Ed. David Daniell. London: Arden, 1998. Print.
–. Julius Caesar. Ed. T. S. Dorsch. London: Metheun, 1969. Print.
–. Julius Caesar. Ed. Arthur Humphreys. Oxford: OUP, 1984. Print.
–. Julius Caesar. Ed. Marvin Spevack. Cambridge: CUP, 2004. Print.
(note that the entries here are all books. For the specifics on citing articles, web pages, etc. check the
MLA website)
If you are quoting from two works from the same book, cite as seen
below:
McDonald, Russ. “The Language of Tragedy.” The Cambridge Companion to
Shakespearean Tragedy. Ed. Claire McEachern. 2002. Cambridge: CUP,
2006. 23-49. Print.
Watson, Robert N. “Tragedies of Revenge and Ambition.” The Cambridge Companion
to Shakespearean Tragedy. Ed. Claire McEachern. 2002. Cambridge: CUP,
2006. 160-181. Print.
For more information on citations, please check the MLA guidelines page provided
by the Patrick Power Library:
(On citations)
http://www.smu.ca/administration/library/documents/MLAtext09.pdf
(On bibliographies)
http://www.smu.ca/administration/library/documents/MLAlist09.pdf
5
Citation Tips
Each bibliography should have the word “Works Cited” in the centre of the page in bold.
Also, each work should be arranged alphabetically and should not be numbered. When it
comes to alphabetical order, use the first letter of the last name of the author. If there are
more than one work by the same author, use the first letter of the title (also, if there are
more than one work by the same author, do not include the author’s name for the second
citation; instead use this: “–.”). Remember that every second line in a citation should be
indented.
Printed Books:
Single Author:
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. New York:
Random House, 2007. Print.
Multiple Authors:
Jones, Ellis, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson. Better World Handbook: Small Changes that
Make a Big Difference. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society, 2007. Print.
(note that while the first name had the last name followed by the first, each subsequent
name had the first followed by the second. Also, note that smaller cities should have the city
followed by the province or state)
Multiple Books by the Same Author:
Gawande, Atul. Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance. New York: Picador, 2007.
Print.
–. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science. New York: Picador, 2002.
Print.
Edition Other than First:
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge. 4th ed. New York: Wiley,
2007. Print.
Multivolume Work:
Knuth, Donald E. The Art of Computer Programming. 3 vols. Reading, MA: Addison-Welsey,
1998. Print.
Works in an Edited Collection:
Joyce, James. “The Dead.” The Best Short Stories of the Modern Age. Ed. Douglas Angus.
New York: Random House, 1993. 104-44. Print.
6
Sen, Amartya. “Education and Standards of Living.” Philosophy of Education: An
Anthology. Ed. Randall Curren. Malden: Blackwell, 2007. 95-101. Print.
Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.” The Necessary Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. 3rd ed.
New York: Pearson, 2009. 546-604. Print.
(note that since Hamlet is a play—which, like novels, are in italics—the title is also in italics
in the citation. Also, note that you include the page numbers if it is a work in a collection)
Journal Article:
Valentine, Sean, and Carry Fleischman. “Ethics Programs, Perceived Corporate Social
Responsibility, and Job Satisfaction.” Journal of Business Ethics 77 (2008): 15972. Print.
Electronic Sources:
(according to MLA a web citation should include the author’s name if possible, the title of
the site in italics, the name of the organizational sponsor, a posting or update date, the
medium of publication [i.e. “Web”] and a retrieval date)
Society for Technical Communication. 2008. Soc. for Technical Communication. Web.
18 Mar. 2008.
(note the way that the date is recorded)
Online Book:
Sowell, Thomas. Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy. 3rd ed. New
York: Basic, 2008. Google Book Search. Web. 12 Jan. 2008.
Work from a Web Site with Author:
DuVander, Adam. “Cookies Make the Web Go ’Round.” Webmonkey. 29 June 2006. Web. 20
Dec. 2007.
Article from a Database:
Gaston, Noel, and Tomoka Kishi. “Part-time Workers Doing Full-Time Work in Japan.”
Journal of Japanese and International Economies 21 (2007): 435-54. Business Source
Premier. Web. 25 Nov. 2007.
Article in an Online Periodical:
Gruener, Wolfgang. “Intel Fires Up New Atom Processors.” TG Daily. DD&M Inc., 1 Apr.
2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2008.
Evaluation Sheet for GERM 1020/1025
Student Name/No.:
Tutorial No.:
Essay No.:
A: Despite a few minor flaws, this essay
o exhibits a command of essay form, demonstrating a solid understanding of audience, purpose, and
appropriate tone
o exhibits deep and thorough comprehension of the primary material
o presents a coherent, original and thought-provoking thesis
o exhibits clear and complex thinking about the assigned task
o exhibits command of focus, coherent organization, and interesting development of ideas (supporting
details, such as examples and arguments, are carefully selected and judiciously emphasized)
o exhibits command of expression (diction, sentence structure, and sentence sense), style, punctuation, and
mechanics
o uses supporting material effectively and documents all sources properly
B: Despite a few flaws, this essay
o exhibits a control of essay form, demonstrating a good understanding of audience, purpose, and
appropriate tone but without the precision or finesse exhibited in level A
o exhibits solid comprehension of the primary material, but without the close attention to nuance and detail
exhibited in level A
o presents a coherent and original thesis
o exhibits clear, somewhat perceptive thinking about the assigned task, but lacks the complexity exhibited in
level A
o exhibits control of focus, organization, and development of ideas (supporting details are all relevant but are
not as insightfully selected or skillfully arranged as in level A)
o exhibits control of expression (sentences consistently convey the intent of the writer, but without the
precision and variety of level A), style, punctuation, and mechanics (errors do not interfere with the reader’s
understanding)
o uses supporting material capably and documents sources properly
C: Despite a number of flaws, this essay
o exhibits a general awareness of essay form, handling some aspects more effectively than others
o exhibits fair if at times superficial comprehension of the primary material
o presents a coherent thesis, though one that could be more original and/or more precisely defined o exhibits
sometimes clear, but simplistic or generalized thinking about the assigned task
o exhibits some control of focus, organization (structure may be too loose or formulaic), and development of
ideas (may contain some poorly chosen information, but major ideas are adequately supported)
o exhibits sufficient control of expression, punctuation, and mechanics not to obstruct the reader’s
understanding
o makes adequate use of some supporting material and documents sources, though perhaps more attention
could be paid to the details of formatting.
D: Due to serious flaws, this essay
o exhibits incomplete understanding of essay form
o exhibits weak or faulty comprehension of the primary material
o fails to present a coherent thesis o exhibits unclear, illogical, and/or superficial thinking about the assigned
task
o exhibits insufficient control of focus, organization (may ramble or be repetitious), and development of ideas
(may be mostly descriptive or lack adequate support)
o exhibits weak control of expression, punctuation, and mechanics to a degree that obstructs the reader’s
understanding
o makes inadequate use of supporting material and does not document sources properly
F: This essay is unsatisfactory because it
o exhibits poor understanding of essay form
o exhibits little comprehension of the primary material
o has nothing worthwhile to say o exhibits little or no thinking about the assigned task
o exhibits undefined focus, inadequate organization, and development of ideas (may be purely descriptive or
strictly formulaic)
o exhibits serious and recurring errors in expression, punctuation, and mechanics to a degree that prevents
the reader’s understanding o uses and/or documents supporting material improperly
Additional Comments:
English 1205 Sample Essays
Prepared by: Student’s Name
Student #: A00000000000000
Prepared for: Jackie Cameron
Course: ENGL 1205
Date: October 4, 2013
11.
Filling in the Gaps the Storyteller Provides
In both “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Jewels” by Guy de Maupassant,
there are gaps in the information provided by the narrator that force the reader to think critically and
become more involved in the story (In the first sentence, we can see that the basic topic has been
introduced and explicitly connected to the two stories under discussion). This is a very successful tool
many authors use to captivate an audience, but it brings with it the issue of narrative reliability (This
topic is then expanded upon by being linked to the topic of unreliability). Information may be
withheld by the narrator on purpose in order to twist an event to suit their cause, as seen in “The Tell-Tale
Heart,” or there may be details that go unexplained simply because even the narrator does not understand
what is going on, which is represented well in “The Jewels” (Note that by describing the two different
ways that the two stories deal with this topic, the basic structure of the paper has been laid out, for
these two ways will then be compared and contrasted). The details that are left out of the story, either
because they are unknown to the narrator or perhaps because they are ignored on purpose, cause the
reader to question the events as they are described, leading to a more involved and often more enjoyable
reading experience (Here, in the final sentence of the introduction, the thesis is made clear: that
such gaps are purposeful, for they force readers to interact with the story in a more critical way).
It is worth noting that an abundance of details often obscures as much as it reveals (Topic
sentence: details can obscure rather than reveal. This will then be elaborated upon with evidence
from the text). For example, in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the unnamed narrator murders an old man
because of his fears over the man’s “Evil Eye” (Poe 1). However, the narrator leaves out a great deal of
things about that eye while nevertheless going into great detail about subjects that may cause the reader to
feel empathy for the narrator (Poe 1-2) (While it may seem too obvious as a way of setting up an
example, sometimes it is good to just straightforwardly set things up this way. Nevertheless, it will
be good to vary things as you go). The narrator gives precise details about his actions in order to prove
that he is not mad, and yet suspicions about the narrator’s reliability and validity are raised in the reader
because these painstaking details are undercut by the almost frantic way the narrator pleads the reader to
see “how calmly [he] can tell . . . the whole story” (Poe 1). Note that the narrator says he will tell the
whole story, and yet it soon becomes apparent that no names are ever provided for any of the characters,
no dates, times or locati …
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