You will write a 7-8-page analysis of any two (2) of the works we read/watched this term: (All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson and Tourmaline/ Wortzels Film: Happy Birthday Marsha!)
The goal is to make an argument that your chose works illuminate some broad, important issue around gender and/or sexuality.
*** Two sources to use for this essay: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson AND
Tourmaline/ Wortzels Film: Happy Birthday Marsha!
(Ill provide both sources to you!)
But a preliminary note: I want to caution you NOT to pursue a simple one-to-one compare and contrast style essay. Rather, for this paper, I want you to explore a theme or dynamic that is revealed when you consider the two works together. (Think of it this way: instead of comparing 2 hydrogens and an oxygen, you want to say something about their combination: H2O. That is, don’t just focus on the individual elements, say something about the water that is formed by the combination.) This alternate approach is distinct from a compare and contrast essay because it is exploring a higher concern created by combining the individual works. Taken together, what important issue or set of experiences are illuminated for us?
Focus on two works that you were especially drawn to, then figure out what larger concern or issue is illuminated by bringing those works together, what type of water is formed, to return to my analogy above.
The main objective of this assignment is to make a claim regarding the representation of gender and/or sexuality, referencing textual evidence from the works to support your ideas. Providing textual material for your claims, as well as thorough analysis of that evidence, are still central aspects of this assignment. Even though you have an eye on the big picture, you still need details for fill out that picture. Don’t neglect the details.
*** Your essay should provide an introductory paragraph that frames the issue(s) you are addressing and provides a clear interpretative claim (why your topic is important). A couple quick words about introductory paragraphs for this paper. Remember, a helpful introduction generally does three key things: you want to alert the reader to your topic, you want to point back to the facets of the two stories, highlighting how that topic plays out, and you want to make an interpretative claim about how we should understand that topic. (Again, your claim isn’t just that the texts are similar, but that by combining them, we see some larger dynamic at play, ie the forest.)
Evaluation
Content: Does the essay fulfill the expectations of a literary analysis? Does the material adequately address an interpretative question? Is the material developed and supported with textual evidence? Organization: Does the introduction establish the framework for the essay? Is the essay organized? Is the essay logical and coherent? Are your ideas composed in coherent/cohesive paragraphs that relate to the surrounding paragraphs and give details for your overall claim? Are there transitions that provide connections between ideas?
Evidence: Is there enough evidence to support the claim? Is each piece of evidence clearly and carefully presented? Do readers have all the contextual information they need to understand a quotation? Is each piece of evidence made relevant? Is each piece of evidence fully explained.
Presentation: Does the essay exhibit a minimum of grammatical or structural errors? Does it meet the basic formatting guidelines for the course?
Details: 7-8 pages; standard MLA format: double-spaced, 1” margins, 12-point Times (New Roman) font, numbered pages; posted to Canvas