ENG 224A
American Literature II
Fall 2016
The Close Reading Essay
Purpose
Your purpose is to demonstrate a general familiarity with the course concepts and
notes through a close reading of one primary text. Of course, you are in no way
responsible for a comprehensive reading of the total work. Rather, the essay will take
the form of a thesis-driven sequence of paragraphs that examine a critical issue or
question that the selected text illustrates. With this in mind, compose a focused,
complex, and debatable position supported by an analysis of manageable scope.
Since your purpose is analytical, you are asked to show how the assigned works are
relevant to significant issues we have examined in the course. You will achieve this goal
by carefully reading and annotating your text in order to supply clear examples and
evidence that back up your thesis. Following this logic, your piece should demonstrate
not only that you’ve read the work with understanding but also that you are actively
engaging with the broader ideas in class. Note: to this end, you may draw upon any
additional handouts or materials to develop the implications of your thesis (for
example: quotations and excerpts from De Tocqueville, Olson, Derrida, Faulkner,
Bloom, Slotkin, Sinykin, and others used in class discussion). The only exception to
these materials would be the Twain critics, given their dominant role in the midterm.
Sample Prompts
Write an essay of at least 1500 words that explores late-nineteenth
century American national identity through a single course author or text
with one of the following questions guiding your analysis. Feel free to
invent your own question as an alternative (whether in part or whole) to
one of these options.
Prompt
Consider Jim’s development as a character. Does he develop over the course of
the novel? For example, in what ways does Twain open up possibilities for
human agency with respect to Jim in the context of a social environment that
fails to recognize or flatly resists them? Examine the symbolic importance of the
river to this element of the design and structure of the novel’s message.
Hint
Please note that I have given you a range of possible topics, but not a thesis. Make
sure your paper has a well-developed thesis! Your paper should include citations from
our primary readings, with the option of using one of the supplemental readings
assigned for the course (for example: pdfs or notes posted to Moodle). You are
welcome to reuse material that you posted on the forums (without citation) if it is useful
for your paper.
Key Questions for the Close Reading Essay
1. Have you shown how the literary works are relevant to the issue explored in the
course or the specific assignment?
2. Have you displayed your general familiarity with the poetic, narrative, historical,
or sociological concept being illustrated?
3. Have you confined yourself to one, two, or at most three aspects of the literary
works, each one developed in a sequence of clear, concise paragraphs?
4. Have you drawn concrete examples from the literary work—lines of dialogue or
poetry, elements of plot or characterization, storyworld details or imagery—
which support the aspects you’ve picked out?
Bibliographic Requirement
You should cite all sources used for the preparation of this piece both in-text and on an MLAformatted
works cited page. Papers submitted in an alternative citation style will have points
deducted.
Rules of thumb
! Give your paper an interesting title. Calling it “Paper #1” or “Fairy Tale
Essay” is not interesting.
! Proofread carefully—mechanics count.
! Put page numbers on your document.
! Follow standard rules for quotations. Short quotations should be
embedded in your essay with an introductory phrase. Long quotations
(called block quotations) should be indented. Look these rules up on the
Purdue OWL website if you are not familiar with them.
! Avoid excessive use of long quotations.
! Make sure your paper has a thoughtful thesis to guide it.
! Don’t summarize the course materials; I’ve already read them.
! Put the word count for your paper on the first page.
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