MLA essay
Compose an MLA essay, response to ONE of the prompts below.
Your response should have an appropriate and interesting introduction with a strong thesis regarding what you are trying to prove in the essay; body paragraphs, each with a clear main point that relates to and helps support your thesis; and a conclusion that effectively and powerfully wraps up the essay.
You should draw upon sources in writing your response. These include the articles, essays, stories, books, and poems we have read for class and any additional research that you may conduct. Provide in-text citations and a Works Cited page in MLA format.
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For any of these prompts, you may NOT choose a text that you have used in ANY of the other course assignments (aside from journals).
- Element Approach: Choose ONE text that we have read to analyze in depth. Your ultimate goal should be to show how ALL of the other elements work to show the main theme (choose only one) of the work. In so doing, you will make an argument that the theme you have chosen is the main theme of the work and will support your argument by analyzing ALL of the other elements within the work. In a cohesive, thoughtful essay, engage in some in-depth analysis and interpretation of your selected work. You may choose any novel, short story, poem, film, or drama (play) we have read for class. You should quote from (and directly cite) at least 8 times from your chosen work. MLA essay
- Literary Theory Research Approach: Choose ONE text that we have read to analyze in depth. Your ultimate goal should be to apply one literary theory to the work and conduct some outside research to provide some context for the application of the theory. In so doing, you will make an argument that the theory you have applied provides an important interpretation for the work and will support your argument using both the literary text you’ve selected and some outside research. In a cohesive, thoughtful essay, combine both passages from your selected text and from your outside research to create a specific theoretical-based reading. You may choose any novel, short story, poem, film, or drama (play) we have read for class. You should quote from (and directly cite) at least 5 times from your chosen work AND 3 times from your outside research. MLA essay.
- Creative Approach: Propose your own prompt. This should align with the course objectives and needs to be cleared by me before you begin.
You may use outside research for this MLA essay. However, make sure your voice and ideas are the clear focus. DO NOT plagiarize. Any plagiarism—from one sentence to the whole essay, intentional or unintentional—will result in a “0” and an “F” for the course.
Use your journals to help you with this essay—draw upon your previous ideas and writing here if it is helpful.
Page length: 5 full pages minimum
| Clarity
[10] |
Does the essay use proper and varied sentence structure, punctuation, etc.? Does it avoid grammatical errors: fragments, run-ons, spelling mistakes, etc.? |
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| Did the essay meet the assignment criteria in purpose and appearance?
Correct MLA formatting? Proper citations? |
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| Coherence/ Structure [10]
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Does the essay have a strong, clear, well-structured thesis? |
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| Does the essay employ tight, polished paragraphs in the correct format or are ideas just thrown together? Does each body paragraph include one main idea/topic sentence that points the reader back to the thesis? | ||
| Does the essay contain a strong backbone/ structure? Does it use the intro. well? The conclusion? Does every IP present a unified argument? (Does it “flow” well?) Are there effective transitions? MLA essay | ||
| Critical Thinking [30]
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How advanced is the essay’s content? Does it explore new ideas that challenge both the writer and reader or simply regurgitate class discussions or popular thought? Does it meet the page length? |
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| Does the paper make a logical connection between the thesis, topic sentences, and examples/proof? (i.e., Does it “connect-the-dots” between claims made in the thesis and examples for that claim?) | ||
| Does the paper provide adequate “proof”? (Quotations or paraphrase, research, expert opinions, statistics, examples, details, etc?) | ||
| Comments: Total Pts. | /50 | |
| X | ||
| = | ||
| Grade MLA essay | ||
| 50 | A+ | 39 | C+ |
| 49-46 | A | 38-36 | C |
| 45 | A- | 35 | C- |
| 44 | B+ | 34-30 | D |
| 43-41 | B | 29-0 | F |
| 40 | B- | MLA essay |
