Essay topics 2009

1. In many of the books we've looked at there are strong female characters who find themselves at odds with the expectations of society and/or family. Choose two of these characters and discuss how each battles against the way others think she should think or act.

2. Examine the role of violence in two of the novels we've studied in this course. Looking at one or several characters from each of two novels, look at how violence affects the trajectory of those characters' lives and how those characters respond to the violence they encounter.   

3. Create your own topic that allows you to look at a common theme or connection between two of the novels we've looked at in this course.

Whatever your topic, make sure your essay deals with both books at the same time as much as possible. Don't write two short essays, one about each book, and simply try to join them in the middle. Find points of comparison throughout. Also, make sure that your approach to the topic is narrow enough that you can address it sufficiently and in some detail in a 2000 word essay. Although I've chosen not to require you to do secondary research, I encourage you to do so if it's relevant to your topic.

I recommend that you run your topic by me either in person or by e-mail. I'm also willing, if time permits, to review introductory paragraphs and/or outlines to help make certain that you are on the right track.

Word length: 1800-2000 words

Due date: Tuesday April 21

Here are links to a couple of documents that might help you as you're writing your essay:

- Paul's tips on writing essays

- the grading rubric I'll use while grading your essays

Reading both of these documents carefully will help you avoid some of the common difficulties I see in student essays.