American Literature

This is a formal essay and should be formatted according to APA guidelines. Review the APA Format link (go to "Start Here" and then "Course Resources") if you need assistance in creating a title page, headers, citations, or a References page. You do not need to include an abstract.

Write a 750-word (minimum) essay addressing one of the topics described below. You must meet the minimum word count to get full credit.

Your essays must include quotes from each text used to get full credit. Be sure to quote, cite, and reference from the text(s) using appropriate APA format.

You can obtain additional writing help by reviewing the material in the Essay Tutorial link (click on "Start Here" and then "Course Resources") or the Keiser Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Save your essay as Microsoft Word document, and identify your work by using your last name in the file name (example: LastnameMidterm.docx). Submit your work by clicking on the "W2 Midterm" link below.

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Midterm Topic Choices

Choose ONE of the following topics and write a 750-word essay.

Topic 1: Choose one of the films below and one of the readings from your textbook. The essay should briefly summarize the chosen film and reading to provide context; however, your essay should not be a simple plot summary of the film and the reading. Instead, your essay should analyze the author's and film's intent and identify universal themes, conflicts, and climaxes. Of the film and the reading you've chosen, which one better accomplishes its purpose? How? Make sure to include evidence from both the film and the reading to support your ideas. Cite all quotes using APA format.

The table below identifies the three films you may choose from, along with some suggestions for readings you might choose to go with them.

Film

Suggested Readings

The New World (2006), available to rent on Amazon John Smith's The General Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles

The Last of the Mohicans (1992), available to rent on Amazon; available for streaming on Netflix as of May 2013

A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson Poe's Tales of Terror (1962) or The Masque of the Red Death (1964); available to rent on Amazon

"The Fall of the House of Usher" or any of the Poe stories in your textbook.

Topic 2: Choose any song you wish (contemporary is fine). Look up the lyrics using a website such as http://www.azlyrics.com/ or http://www.elyrics.net/ (Make sure to cite the source you use!). Using AT LEAST one verse and the refrain, discuss the lyrics in terms of poetry. Be SURE to discuss the following: content (story), including poetic components such as alliteration, simile, metaphor, and personification. In addition, identify the rhyme scheme, and include imagery (symbolic or literal). Be sure to use examples from the song. Be sure to cite the song according to APA and cite all quotes using APA format.

Topic 3: View The Crucible (available for rent on Amazon.com)--or you may read the play (Go to "Start Here" and the "Course Resources" to see the Webliography page for links where you may be able to access the play)--and discuss the theme of persecution. Think about why people tend to accuse those who are different and why it often goes unchallenged. For more information about McCarthy and McCarthyism, view this link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/. Your essay should include the following:

1. How the theme of persecution is represented in the film (or play) itself, and

2. How the ideas of this film apply to contemporary society.

You may wish to include a discussion of McCarthyism and how Miller reflects McCarthyism in The Crucible.

Include evidence from the film (or play) to support your ideas. Make sure to correctly quote and cite the film and any researched material using APA format.