Military Literature Reaction Paper Assignment

MLA FORMAT

All essays must be formatted according to MLA guidelines. While most of your other courses will use APA, that particular format is not geared to writing about literature and would cause confusion if we were to use it. MLA is user-friendly and you can search online for the Purdue OWL website where you can find many helpful recommendations for writing a paper in MLA format. Please follow these recommendations and ask if you need help with any of these issues.

WORKS CITED

This is the only paper for which you will not need a Works Cited page unless you decide to cite a source since I am asking you to generate some personal thoughts in reaction to some questions I am giving you.

TOPICS

This paper is the most casual that you will do this semester. What I mean is that this is the only essay in which you will not be responding to something that we have read together this semester. Maybe some time has passed since you last wrote an essay. Think of this one as a chance to get warmed up for the argumentative essays to come. Nevertheless, you should still have strong organization in this essay, original thinking, and effective writing (that means correct grammar and spelling and compelling writing).

Look over the topics below. Decide which one you would like to respond to in a brief essay. These are all questions that we will be considering in one form or another over the course of the semester so they are all important. Just choose the one that sounds most interesting to you!
Whichever one you choose, be sure that you organize your essay in a logical fashion. Your introductory paragraph should make clear which topic you have selected and, generally speaking, what you are going to say about it. The body paragraphs should go into detail about your topic, looking at different aspects of your selected subject. Each paragraph should make a different point and keep your discussion moving along. Finally, there should be some kind of conclusion that demonstrates the ground you covered in the paper and gives it a sense of finality.

1. What do you expect from a book that has been labeled as a war memoir? From a book labeled as war literature? What kinds of stories do you anticipate reading? What kinds of issues do you expect will be discussed?

2. There are a lot of books written about war that might not qualify as literature. What makes a text "literary"?

3. Are there any topics that should NOT be discussed in war literature? If so, what are they and why?

4. Who has the right to write literature about war? Explain your answer.

5. How can memoirs and novels about war be used? By whom and for what purposes?

MISCELLANEOUS

Here are a few points to keep in mind as you reread your paper:

• This is the only assignment you will write this semester in which you can use "I." Do NOT however use "you" in it.

• You should be using appropriate academic language, avoiding slang and familiar language.

• Writing is a process that takes substantial time and effort. You should never submit a rough draft of your work to your professor. That means that you should not hand in any kind of assignment without revising it. Ideally, you will give your paper to someone else to read. Hopefully, any feedback you get will make your writing stronger.

- Remember that you are making a first impression with this paper. It does not have to be perfect! However, it should be thoughtful and demonstrate that you have put effort into your writing.