English 152 – Mid-Term Paper

DUE October 30th – Late papers will not be accepted

You will take ONE of the texts that we read from our syllabus, and you will write an
argumentative essay on it. Avoid plot summary. Remember, this is not a book report.
Your task is to come up with an argument, a theory, in order to apply significance to
some aspect of the text itself. You may apply literary theory as a way to develop a thesis
(for example using gender theory in order to do an examination of the way that a female
is treated based on gender, but your thesis may not be trying to argue that one form of
literary theory is superior to another.)

It is imperative that you include direct quotations from the text itself to back up
your claims. You need to be very thorough in this essay. You will be critiqued both on
content and on the writing itself. It is important to have a proper introduction, clearly
stated thesis, unified and well-crafted paragraphs that strive to clarify your main points,
and a final conclusion that ties together your entire essay. You may NOT use any
outside sources for this essay. You must use correct MLA form with in-text citations
and a works cited page. Be thoughtful, creative, and specific.

The paper should be a minimum of four full pages.