Visit to a Small Planet Redux Essay Guidelines:

Prompt: With Elinor Fuchs’s essay as your guide, you’ll compare and contrast map of Kat
Sandler’s Cockfight and the production of Cockfight (February 15-17; February 29- March 2) at
Erindale Theatre. Following her essay closely, you’ll answer her questions in as much detail as possible
for the script and the production, and highlight the commonalities/distinctions between them. Comb the
play and production—paying close attention to stage directions and descriptions of its visual
environment, as well as production choices—to collect a comprehensive inventory of important details.
Using your accumulated data, construct a thorough guide to the play and the production.

While Elinor Fuchs’s essay provides numerous questions to ask of a play, it is up to you to
decide what questions you choose to address. Please keep in mind that this essay is a detailed
imaginative map, and should not provide surface level observations but should be thorough and
comprehensive in scope.

The essay should:

• (1) an introduction paragraph that introduces the play and the production.
• (2) body paragraphs that address the physical and social world of the play (reminder to
include the evidence from the play text and the production)
• (3) a concluding paragraph that provides an interpretation of what production concept
and/or central idea of the script that the production was highlighting. This closing
analysis should make some claim about how the forementioned production choices lend
to your interpretation.

This essay is due by 11:59 PM March 4th on Quercus.

Guidelines:
• Length: Your paper should be double-spaced, 750 – 1000 words, and should include
works cited page for primary sources and any outside/secondary sources, lectures from
this course, or any ideas that are not yours. Please make sure to title your essay, please do
not title it “Visit to a Small Planet Essay.”
• Submissions: Students will need to submit the essay through Ouriginal on Quercus by
Monday, March 4th at 11:59pm.
• Late Essays: If a student turns in an essay late it will be marked down a full letter grade
(10pts) each calendar day the essay is late, beginning at 12:00am on the due date.
• Proofreading: The paper should be copyedited and free of grammatical and stylistic
errors. I recommend The Elements of Style for improving your writing. Additionally,
reading your writing out loud will help you catch mistakes and typos.

Visit to a Small Planet Essay Rubric:

I. Formatting /10 points

Does essay follow formatting requirements?

II. Grammar and Spelling /10 points

Is the essay thoroughly proofread?
Are there more than five grammatical and spelling errors?

III. Citations /10 points

Is one citation style being used consistently?
Is everything cited?
Is everything cited correctly?

IV. Organization /20 points

Does the essay include an introduction?
Does the essay include body paragraphs?
Does the essay include a conclusion paragraph?
Does each paragraph have a distinct and clear purpose?

V. Content /50 points

Is it clear which questions the essay is answering from Elinor?
Does the essay provide a detailed imaginative map of the play and production that includes
addressing the physical and social world?
Does the essay demonstrate a critical analysis of their observations of the production in their
concluding paragraph?
Does the essay include thorough evidence from the play and production?
Is the evidence the essay utilizes appropriate?
All observations reflects and enhances the understanding of the play and production?
How much does the essay compare and contrast the play and production?
Does the essay give due attention to the entire play/production, and does not just focus on one
section or part of the play/production?

TOTAL: /100 points