Write a well-organized essay of 4-5 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font)
in which you
(a) concisely formulate your inquiry; (b) using your close-reading skills, analyze the portions of the
text(s) that are relevant to your topic (this is your “textual evidence”); and (c) draw a logical and
illuminating conclusion that gives your readers a new perspective on the text(s) you have analyzed. The qualities I will look for in your essay are the following: Do you ask an interesting question that doesn’t have an obvious answer? Do you use textual evidence, and explicit analysis of that evidence, to try and answer the question? Are your ideas logically organized and developed? Is the logic of your transitions (from sentence
to sentence, and from paragraph to paragraph) made clear to the reader? Do you express your thoughts in clear, concise, grammatical English prose?
I need quotes included in each body paragraph. Introduction and conclusion aside. Bring the thesis in the introduction.
Topic: Discuss Blok’s The Puppet Show from the symbolic standpoint. You may want to focus on a
character/characters, style or other aspects of the play.