Honors English 111--Essay #4 -- Kate Chopin
| For your fourth essay, you will write on Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening. Choose a topic that focuses on some aspect of the novel and create a thesis statement that asserts your opinion (interpretation) about that topic. Be clear in your thesis. It is the most important sentence in the essay because it provides the focus. A vague thesis (or no thesis) usually leads to a blurry essay. This essay should be at least twelve hundred words.
In the body, you will cite selected events and passages from the text to support your thesis, but be careful not to summarize the novel. We've all read it, so don't bore us with a re-telling of the story. As a general rule, for each sentence of summary, you should use about two-to-three sentences of analysis. Develop the body paragraphs fully (generally six to ten sentences) so that the facet of the thesis with which you are dealing will have a sense of thoroughness and completion. As in the past, please remember that I don't want to know what you think about marriage, children, or society's expectations of women. Rather, I want you to interpret what Chopin is saying about the topic that you choose. Document the paper with the standard MLA documentation that we have been using all semester, that is, with in-text citations and a works cited page. An in-text citation should take the following format within the paragraph of your essay: For this assignment, I want you to use three outside sources, that is scholarly criticism of the novel. You may use print sources, or you may use online sources; however, make sure that the sources you use are scholarly. I don't want random websites devoted to Kate Chopin, ones that can be created by any fan of her work. In addition, DO NOT use biographical material in your paper. You are to focus on the text as a separate entity. Analyze and interpret it, not the writer's life. In addition, do not use a dictionary, encyclopedia, other fiction/poetry, or the Bible as one of your three outside sources. The works cited page should also be the standard citation that we have used in the past. The other three sources should be alphabetized, along with the novel.
If you have doubts about the documentation, visit the link on my website. Also remember that no more than 15% of your paper should appear in quotation marks. Be sure to create a title for your paper. The title should not be Chopin's title; rather, it should be something that relates to your thesis statement. Don't put your title in quotation marks, and don't underline it.
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. In class, we have discussed the movement of Naturalism that set the trend for some of the late nineteenth century's major writers, writers such as Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Theodore Dreiser, Harold Frederic, and Hamland Garland. Do some scholarly research about Naturalism, define what it is in literature, and then argue that The Awakening is (or is not) a Naturalistic novel. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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, do some scholarly research about the characteristics of Romanticism, define it in your paper, and then argue that The Awakening fits those characteristics. 6. 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! |
