ENG 208 – Literary Analysis
Essay #1 – DUE Tuesday, 10/14 via EMAIL
Romeo
and Juliet
If
you prefer to hand it in as a hard copy, it will be due by 5:00 pm on
Tuesday, 10/14—slip under my door in ROOM 1150 (RED AREA).
Essay
#1 (of 4-5 pages with additional Works Cited page attached) is due on Tuesday, October
14, via EMAIL. Late papers—those submitted
with a Wednesday, 10/15 OR LATER time stamp—will receive 2 permanent points off
for lateness. Thus, do not wait until the last minute--that's when
computer issues, Internet problems, etc., arise--it is your responsibility to
have your work in on time. You will be given until Tuesday, October 21 to
revise, if necessary. Otherwise, the original grade stands. The revised paper
may be emailed to me. There will be NO
exceptions to this.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
1) Act II,
Scene III (2.3) of Romeo and Juliet opens
with Friar Lawrence picking herbs which contain both medicinal uses as well as
poison. He calls them “baleful weeds and precious-juicèd flowers” (2.3.8). In
an essay, discuss how the speech of Friar Lawrence can also be seen to be
commenting on the ancient feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, and
perhaps upon the outcome of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Cite
specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation. In
addition, find one critical essay
(external secondary source) to quote from.
2) Romeo and Juliet ends tragically with
the death of the young lovers, as foretold by the Chorus in the Prologue of the
play. It is clear that Shakespeare attributes a large role to Fate and Fortune
in the play; yet, we also see that Romeo and Juliet are fully human, with flaws
and frailties, and that they make deliberate choices. Further, they show an
awareness of the consequences of those choices and, therefore, must bear some responsibility
as well for the tragic outcome of the play. In an essay, discuss how Romeo and
Juliet (or other characters) govern their own choices by their actions and
speech. Cite specifically to
the source, using standard MLA-style documentation. In addition, find one critical essay (external secondary
source) to quote from.
3) Baz
Luhrmann, the director of the 1996 version, William Shakespeare's Romeo
+ Juliet (which we will finish watching on Wednesday, 10/1), is quoted as
saying “Let’s make this movie rambunctious, sexy, violent, and entertaining the
way Shakespeare might have if he had been a filmmaker.” In an essay, compare and contrast three (3)
scenes from the text of the play with three (3) scenes from the Luhrmann
adaptation, and discuss why you think the presentation of these scenes is or is
not successful. Cite
specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation. In
addition, find one critical essay
(external secondary source) to quote from.
4) The 1996
Luhrmann adaptation, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, offers
a broadly diverse cast (by race and ethnicity), pays cinematic homage to a
number of other film genres, and includes many references to modern-day politics,
consumerism, to sexuality, and to popular culture itself. However, Romeo,
Juliet, and Paris are all portrayed by white actors. In an essay, choose at
least two characters from the play, analyze at least two of their speeches, and
discuss whether their portrayals in the film have been successfully
re-articulated for a modern audience. Cite
specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation. In
addition, find one critical essay
(external secondary source) to quote from.
NOTE: If you are answering Questions #4 OR #5, here is the MLA
citation:
William
Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes,
Peter Postlewaite. 20th Century Fox, 1996. DVD.
Criteria for Grading
In your essay, you must include support for your
response from whichever primary text you have chosen, as well as from at least
one outside critical essay—which you must research. Cite specifically to the
source, using standard MLA-style documentation, including a Works Cited
Page. The expectation is that you will write grammatically correct and
coherent sentences, following standard composition form.
Again,
your short essays are evaluated using the following criteria: you have answered
the question asked—meaning, you have written a clear thesis statement with
supporting points and you have answered the question completely); you have
cited adequately from the source reading as well as secondary sources (critical
essays) using MLA style; and, you have demonstrated strength in your writing
that is appropriate to a 200-level literature course (well-structured sentences
and paragraphs, proper spelling, grammar, no run-on sentences or sentence
fragments, proper punctuation, use of transitions, logical conclusion). If you
receive “NG”—meaning “Not Gradable”—due to numerous composition errors (ex:
poor grammar, misspellings, lack of thesis, poor sentence structure, not
MLA-compliant, etc.), you are strongly advised to take your paper to The
Learning Center (2nd Floor) to work with a tutor for assistance in revising the
essay for resubmission.
Plagiarism
results in an "F" on the paper with NO POSSIBILITY of revision or
“extra credit” make-up work. If you plagiarize, you have automatically lost the
ability to earn any grade higher than a “B” grade for the course. If you plagiarize a second time, you automatically fail the course.
YOU
MAY NOT USE the following as sources, as they are NOT considered scholarly
works: SparkNotes, CliffsNotes, ClassicNotes, Enotes, GradeSaver, or any other
student guides. Also, a Wikipedia entry may NOT be used as a source—however, if the “Source”
section of a Wikipedia entry contains a scholarly work (a journal article or
academic book) that you want to quote from in your paper, you are free to
retrieve the work from the library (hard copy or from a database) and
incorporate it into your paper. VALE contains a number of excellent
databases through which you can find good literature resources (ProQuest,
Literature Resource Center, etc.) You may also check Google Scholar—it keeps
getting better and better!
You
must write well if you are to receive a good grade in my course. I do not
“curve” grades—also, I do not pass students whose writing does not show that
they have properly met the standards of what I consider acceptable. The Learning Center is open every day and
evening and is available to you. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that
your papers are proof-read before you hand them in. Below is how I break down
the points:
Clear
thesis statement, well-organized supporting points and conclusion: 10 points
Cited
adequately and correctly from the texts (primary and secondary): 5 points
Demonstrated
writing strength (sentence structure, spelling, grammar): 5 points
