ASSIGNMENT GOAL: To write an “extended sequence” of cumulative sentences about some aspect of All Quiet on the Western Front. For this assignment, I want to see intelligent insights about the novel, backed up effectively by quotations from the text. Your grade will be based on three things: 1) the extent to which you make solid, insightful analytical points about whatever aspect of the novel you focus on, and 2) your demonstrated understanding of how to use cumulative sentences. 3.) the extent to which you are able to write meaningful introductions and conclusions. I want to see you using different kinds of free dependent modifiers, placing them in various positions in your sentences, creating a vivid, fluid, interesting passage of prose.
ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:
Pick any aspect/broad topic of All Quiet that interests you. Though these broad topics will help give you direction, your thesis should focus on theorizing some specific aspect or idea you develop within that topic. Some possible topics to consider:
1. premature aging (and/or the theme of “children” or “youth versus age”)
2. alienation from civilian life and identity
3. desensitization to violence
4. dependence on animal instinct (and/or the line between “human” and “animal”)
5. change in priorities and values (e.g., rejection of old morals or conventions)
6. camaraderie / “esprit de corps” (and/or intimacy and brotherhood between soldiers)
7. dehumanization of the enemy (and moments when enemy is re-humanized)
8. the inherently corrupt nature of power (and/or social class power structures)
9. madness / deterioration of the mind
10. the role of chance / luck / fate in survival
11. food / eating / hunger
12. loss of religious faith
13. the power (or lack of power) of words (or books, or education)
14. the generation gap (different perceptions of youth versus adults)
15. humor, jokes, jests, laughter
16. some other pattern or repetition, opposition, or anomaly from your method notes
Once you’ve identified a topic of interest, READ BACK THROUGH YOUR ANNOTATIONS OF THE NOVEL looking for as many references to that topic as you can find. Are there patterns in the way Remarque treats the topic? Is he consistent about it, or does he introduce ambiguities and contradictions? Does his treatment of the topic get more complex or nuanced as the novel goes on?
Asking yourself those questions should help you make some thoughtful, intelligent ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS about your topic. Remember, I’ll be looking for “solid, insightful analytical points.” (For instance, don’t just list all the times Remarque mentions animals. If your topic is “references to animals,” have some sort of thesis about how Remarque uses references to animals to help us understand some aspect of war.)
DETAILS OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Obviously, you need to write a lot of cumulative sentences. I’d love to see at least a couple sentences in your extended sequence which push the envelope in terms of length and complexity, with four or five or even six free dependent modifiers.
However, not every sentence should be a huge monster, bristling with dependent phrases. Good writers vary sentence structure and sentence length, creating interesting rhythms for their readers. Make effective use of short, punchy sentences! Read your essay out loud to yourself to be sure the sentences actually make sense and sound natural. (Also, don’t overdo the absolutes! They’re excellent phrases and highly sophisticated, but it’s like salt in cooking–you want to get the amount right!)
Incorporate quotations from the text into your cumulative sentences. As needed, alter the quotations to fit grammatically into your own sentences, but be sure to indicate any deletions you’ve made with ellipses and any additions with brackets. Use proper MLA style for doing this, as well as for citing page numbers. The sample essay follows MLA style, so you can use it as a model. [PLEASE NOTE: FREE DEPENDENT MODIFIERS THAT ARE ALREADY PART OF A QUOTATION DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS YOUR QUOTA.]
As you proofread, look out for dangling or misplaced modifiers. Also, be sure you’re writing cumulative sentences, not just compound sentences. It’s only a cumulative sentence if there’s AT LEAST ONE dependent part attached by a comma. You can certainly have cumulative compound sentences (i.e., a sentence with two independent clauses, plus at least one dependent free modifier), but sentences aren’t automatically cumulative just because they’re long or have a comma. Here again is the Quick and Easy Guide to punctuating compound sentences.
To get an A- or A on this assignment, you should turn in a paper which:
–consists of a minimum of 3 full pages of double-spaced writing in which most of the sentences are cumulative sentences (that is, sentences containing at least one free dependent modifier.)
–uses six or more different types of free dependent modifiers (present participle phrases, appositives, relative clauses, absolutes, adjective phrases, adverbs, subordinate clauses, etc..) Try to use a resumptive or summative modifier for extra academic swag! (If you correctly use a summative modifier AND mark it on your paper you get a Gold Wolbee!) Here again is the List of twelve different KINDS OF FREE DEPENDENT MODIFIERS we went over in class
–contains at least three sentences with three or four or more free
dependent modifiers (properly used) all modifying one independent clause (or modifying another fdm attached to that independent clause). Remember: try to really push the limit with a couple of your sentences.
Here again is the Classic way to use cumulative sentences for literary
analysis that gives you a structured model to get three dependents
attached to one independent.
–makes several intelligent, insightful, and specific analytic points about the way Remarque handles the topic you’re focusing on. (Embed supporting quotations properly into your sentences.)