Paper Topic Options and Guidelines For GHUM200 --paper #1

Paper Guidelines and the Paper Topics For the First Literature Paper in GHUM200

(PLEASE READ ALL GUIDELINES AND TOPIC INFORMATION. NOTE THAT YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF THE TOPIC OPTIONS BELOW. YOU SHOULD ALSO READ THE "WRITING TIPS" AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.)

Guidelines:

GENERAL --
Your paper should be roughly 1500-1600 words long, and should be typed, doublespaced, in New Times Roman 12-point font.)
The main goal of the paper is to show not only that you have a very good grasp of one or more of the works we read but also that you can have and coherently and persuasively share an insight (a thesis) about this literary work. The argument should be one that extends beyond ideas and other material from our class discussions, and it should involve the use of specific evidence, especially quotes from the literary text, to show that your insight is a correct (or at least compelling) one.
What is most crucial is to have a specific, fully developed and well-supported idea while avoiding any needless repetition and irrelevant extra material. For example, summarize only what is particularly relevant to your thesis and do so only at the point(s) in the paper where it is needed.
More generally, for every sentence you write, ask yourself why that sentence is necessary to your argument and/or to the context your reader needs in order to understand or appreciate your argument.
USING QUOTES --Think carefully about the quotes you use as evidence, choosing those that most specifically give the right type of information or raise the right type of question for the reader. Make sure to use a quote when appropriate rather than just summarizing some observation you've made about the text. Then, make sure to explain the relevance of the quote in some detail.
Also, part of the craft of using quotes in your writing is considering ways to incorporate them into the structure of your paragraphs rather than having them floating as detached little conceptual islands. In other words, good written communication of this type shouldn't needlessly cause breaks for the reader in what ought to be the smooth process of following along with your ideas.
CITING WORK -- You must, of course, cite all quotes and paraphrases properly and include a bibliography/works cited page (even though you'll be using just one literary work as your source.)
TITLE --
Your work needs an appropriate title, which should be on a separate title page with your name and other relevant information. An appropriate title is directed; it gives the reader a hint about the main point you will be making in your paper. In fact, having a title that you feel really encapsulates the paper in some relevant way is one good indication that your paper itself has direction. In other words, the title of the literary work isn't a good title for your paper... :) Extra title tip: Great titles in works of literary analysis also often attempt to capture the reader's attention. (Here's one hypothetical example: "Sucked In: Powerlessness and the Dilemma of the Black Hole in Frederik Pohl's Gateway.")
HELP --
Feel free to talk to me if you have questions about any of these guidelines.

NECESSARY TOPIC INFORMATION:

FIRST, YOU MAY NOT USE ANY OUTSIDE SOURCES AT ALL BESIDES THE LITERARY WORK(S) UNDER DISCUSSION.
The topic you choose should make sense to you and, ideally, should also seem at least a little interesting to you.:) You must then find some very specific point of view that you can argue for on that topic. The topics are actually already phrased as thesis questions, but your actual thesis will be your answer to that question. Remember that this is not a personal response paper; it's a persuasive analysis, which may be a new type of writing for you. You will need a thesis that you can support with very specific arguments and for which you do not see any blatant counter-evidence that you can't eliminate.

If you think you have chosen your topic but don't yet have a thesis, brainstorm a bit. Ask yourself questions like those in the topic descriptions or, more generally, questions like these: In what way is the personality or behaviour of one or more of the characters in the text(s) relevant to this topic? How do specific moments in the plot relate to this topic? How does the setting relate to this topic? What particular images or metaphors does the author use that relate to this topic? Are there any particular lines from the text that stick in my mind and seem to sum up an idea related to this topic? Next, look for patterns in what you have observed. Alternatively, you could find it helpful to start by making a list of possible points of view on this topic and to then look for evidence to support the various sides, choosing the point of view that works with the evidence or determining that the right point of view lies somewhere in between two different points of view on your original list.
Before you begin writing a draft of the paper, you should have at least a tentative answer to these questions: What conclusion(s) have you reached? What would be an informative title, in light of these conclusions, for your paper? Will you have plenty of specific excerpts from the text(s) to discuss in support of your conclusion? Will you have something to say about any apparent counter-evidence against your conclusion? In the process of writing the draft, you may change your mind about some of your answers; that's absolutely fine! Just make sure that you do leave time for editing and that your final draft is completely consistent with your final thesis. Hint: Neither take a more absolute stand than you think you can support nor resort to cliches as arguments.

*******HERE ARE THE TOPIC OPTIONS*******: (Remember: These are topics, or at most thesis questions; they are not theses. That part's up to you.)

In “Death and the Librarian,” the title issue is the comparison of Death (personified) and the librarian. What kind of power/force in the real world might the librarian represent/personify, and to what extent and in what way(s) is Esther Friesner suggesting to readers through the story that this power/force can diminish or otherwise change the power that we perceive death to have over us? In building your argument, consider how this theme is conveyed in the story – plot structure, character development, imagery, etc.
To get you started, here are just as a few questions you might ask yourself, among many: Does anything in the opening line seem relevant to your theme? What about the narrative description of the clothing Louisa has on when Death first meets her? Or the fact that her lover, Asher, was a poet? How about the change in the ghost children as Louisa reads to them? Not all of these questions might end up being important ones for you, and you should think about others too, but these are examples of the kinds of things you need to consider.

By the end of Frankenstein , in what ways and to what extent is the character of Robert Walton being used by Mary Shelley to influence our assessment of Victor Frankenstein and his behavior? More specifically, does Shelley's including the character of Robert Walton in the novel appear designed overall to evoke a more positive or a more negative reader response to Victor Frankenstein (or something more complex than that)?
Here are just some examples of what you might consider in arguing for a particular viewpoint on this issue: How does Robert Walton feel about Victor Frankenstein? In what ways is he revealed to be like or unlike Frankenstein and how might that be relevant? In what ways might he be being presented as a reliable or unreliable character in his feelings and viewpoints? What, if anything, of relevance might we learn from him that we don't learn any other way in the novel? What might simply be being reinforced by Walton? Are any of Walton's own actions relevant here? Is the setting of their encounter relevant? You may determine that you do not find all these issues to be important and/or that other issues may be very important to your argument too!

In “The Small Assassin,” how crucial is Ray Bradbury's particular treatment of the character of the doctor to the short story's ability to persuade readers to suspend disbelief about the possibility that a baby could be a killer (at least within the context of the story)? In other words, whether you felt the baby was conclusively established to be a killer in the story or not, to appreciate the story at all, you had to be willing to accept the fictional possibility of such a thing in the characters' world.
Regardless of the stance you choose to take on this topic, your argument should consider how the relevant details of the short story work together. For example, you will need to consider not just the doctor’s character, the fact that he is the last to believe, the conversations he has, and the extremity of his final decision, but also how he contrasts with or compares to other characters in the story and their actions, etc.

Early in Ender’s Game, Colonel Graff describes a utilitarian philosophy for society's use of individuals to Ender in the following lines: "...I'll put it bluntly. Human beings are free except when humanity needs them" (35). More generally, for the purposes of this paper, consider that someone who believes in utilitarianism believes that a guiding principle of human behavior should be to make choices that lead to the greatest good for the most people. To what extent does Orson Scott Card craft the novel in such a way as to present readers with the view that utilitarianism is the right philosophy for mankind -- or if not the absolute right one then perhaps, at least, a justifiable one?
Note that this topic is, like the others, intended to lead to a paper built solely around analysis of a literary work, not a paper based on library research or personal reflection on the right definitions and contexts for utilitarianism. (Those are interesting subjects; they're just not the point of this paper assignment. :) )
If you choose to develop and argue for a thesis on this topic, you might consider, among others, such issues as the following: Are there any additional direct references to utilitarianism in the novel? Is utilitarianism inferable in other ways as the philosophy of any of the characters (human or otherwise) and/or in any situations or settings in the novel? (Just as one very small example, which you may decide is not very important or significant, is the constraint on the number of children in a family in Ender's society relevant?) When/if a utilitarian philosophy leads to particular choices in the novel by particular characters, do those choices lead to positive outcomes or negative outcomes (and how might that matter)? Which characters do/don't seem to be proponents of utilitarianism and how might that relate to which are generally presented as more reasonable/reliable/intelligent/etc. characters? Are any alternatives to utilitarianism presented in the novel and, if so, are they presented more or less favorably? Is utilitarianism presented more favorably in some situations than in others? Does the novel in any way suggest that this philosophy should/shouldn't be applicable to children? Remember, these are just some ideas to get you started...

Finally, Here Are Some Writing TIPS --
Start by considering the questions you have about this type of paper. This may be a new type of writing for you. Allow yourself the time to work on this skill. From my perspective, the best papers will achieve elegance in language and thought, but on the other extreme, the writing problems I find most problematic are the ones that decrease the basic effectiveness of your communication. Here are a few things to consider:

As one example, while you are right to try for a moderately formal writing style and to avoid slang, it is dangerous to use terminology you don't completely understand. If a simple, non-slang word you already know expresses your meaning exactly, use it. If not, carefully research the correct word and learn how to use it in a sentence. This generally requires more than a dictionary/thesaurus. If you find yourself needing to use the same word over and over and can't be sure an alternative in your thesaurus really has exactly the right meaning in your context or if you're not sure exactly how that word is used in a sentence, try paraphrasing your whole sentence instead. Yes, this is all part of the painful process of becoming a more advanced writer... and I can tell you from personal experience that there's really never an end to that process. (As a starting point for word choice decisions, there is a link to the OED below.)

Watch out too for word and phrase choices that could seem ambiguous to your reader, and also for sentence (and paragraph) structures that either force the reader to guess at how your current point relates to what you've said so far or cause the reader to be distracted away from your ideas by awkward phrasing. Nothing ruins a good point like a sentence that has to be re-read several times! (Bad word choices, random tense changes, run-on and incomplete sentences, and dangling modifiers can all do this. Ask me, if you don't know how to identify some of these things.)

It's also important not to expect your first draft to be perfect or even "good enough.” The most naturally talented writers can nonetheless write some truly horrible sentences and have some very confusing passages or connections in their first drafts. Really!! Expect to do some editing.

Finally, sometimes when you think you're having a problem with the "writing", what's really causing the problem is that you are a bit fuzzy on the details of your thoughts or the logical structure of your argument. It requires careful thinking and intellectual craftsmanship to make a good argument, writing factors aside. If you find that you keep saying to yourself, "I know what I want to say but I just don't know how to write it," ask a friend to let you talk outloud about the idea (but remember that, unlike your friend, your reader will need you to get it right the first time because he/she can't ask questions.) If you can't talk clearly through your thoughts yet either, you might want to try outlining them. Maybe you haven't completely made up your mind what you believe? Or, maybe you're trying to make a couple points at once? It might be that you need to make some more logical choices before you can share your thoughts coherently.