| For the fourth essay of the semester, you are to focus on the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. This essay should range between a minimum of eight words to a maximum of one thousand words. As with your previous essays, you are to choose a topic from that novel and then argue what you believe Chopin is saying about that topic. To do this, create a thesis that states what you believe the central theme of a story is. That thesis will drive the remainder of the essay, and each paragraph should support it. Avoid a thesis that is obvious, and, of course, one that is factual. Since we've discussed many topics in class, it will be difficult for you to find something we haven't discussed. That's fine, but just be careful not to write an essay in which you merely regurgitate what we've said in class. Go deeper into your topic--or take a different approach to it. And remember that I want your analysis, interpretation, and your evaluation of the literature. I don't simply want a summary of the story. I want to see good critical thinking skills at work in this essay.
Support your thesis by taking events and quotations from the novel. Then analyze those events and quotations, and don't be afraid to evaluate Chopin's handling of the material. I want to hear you say something like the following: "Chopin's Edna is a believable character who has the flaws of all humans. Rather than create a hero, Chopin dramatizes the life of a woman in crisis, and the author shows this crisis convincingly." Of course, limited summary is necessary for you to analyze and evaluate, but be sure that for every sentence of summary you use, you should write two-to-three sentences of analysis and evaluation. Document the quotations you take from the text according to the MLA format that we have discussed in class and that can be found in your Diana Hacker handbook or on my web site. In particular, reread pages 679-683 in your Hacker text. When you quote material, be sure to use in-text citations. For a novel, those citations will simply state in parenthesis the author's last name and the page reference. For instance, a citation should look like the following example: When she was young, Edna Pontellier "apprehended instinctively the dual life--that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions" (Chopin 57). If you mention the author's name before the citation, then there's no need to repeat "Chopin" in the parenthesis. If you quotation you choose takes up to four lines in your paper, run those lines into your normal paragraph. If the quotation takes more than four lines of your paper, then indent the quotation ten spaces from your left margin. Unless there is dialogue within the quotation, an indented quotation needs no quotation marks. The indentation alone tells the reader that you have quoted the material. One important caveat: Please do not devote any significant part of your essay to Kate Chopin's personal life. Focus on exploring the theme that you've chosen, not on how it reflects the author's life. Some Topics to Consider 1. After Edna Pontellier's awakening, she envisions herself as an artist of sorts. She has a modest studio, she paints, and she even earns money from her work. During one of her later visits to Mademoiselle Reisz's apartment, Edna hears from the pianist that the artist "must possess the courageous soul . . . [one] that dares and defies" (Chopin 115). Argue that Edna Pontellier is (or is not) up to the artist's struggle in a bourgeois society, that indeed she has (or lacks) the courage to dare and defy. 2. At one point, Edna Pontellier says to Madame Ratignolle that "'I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself'" (Chopin 97). Given the events at the end of the novel, argue that Edna Pontellier's actions do not support her contention to her friend, that indeed Edna has given up herself--physically and psychologically. 3. Chopin's novel has often been viewed as a satiric view of upper middle class society, a society best represented by Madame Ratignolle, who is the "mother woman" of the author's vituperative description (Chopin 51). Through Edna, Chopin goes on to say that Adele Ratignolle's life with her husband is "an appalling and hopeless ennui." Yet one could argue that the novel actually endorses the lifestyle and beliefs of this bourgeois society. Argue that this is--or is not--so. 4. Looked at differently, The Awakening may lack the hard edge usually associated with the Naturalistic novel. Indeed, it might well be the ultimate Romantic novel. If you believe this, research what Romanticism is, define the characteristics of the Romantic novel, and then argue that The Awakening fits those characteristics. 5. If none of these topics appeals to you, create your own, but ask me for approval before you write on it.
Format of Manuscript Check your syllabus for the due date. Good Luck! |
