1. Choose from one of the following arguments or choose an argument of your own. Just be sure that you can come up with an arguable thesis statement. I have left some blanks in these statements for you to fill in as you adapt the sentence into a thesis statement. You may have to revise the statement even further in order to make it workable.

2. People usually think _________ is an evil character, but it is actually possible to justify _________'s behavior if you consider ____________.

3. The worst decision this character makes is when he/she . . .

4. This character only gets to know himself/herself when . . . (insert a key moment from the story that is the turning point in the character's development).

5. Of all of the characters in this story, _________ is the most virtuous, because . . .

6. This character's experiences prove that . . . is the best way to fall in love and to assure oneself of a happy marriage.

Questions for Development

Do not attempt to answer all of these questions in your paper. These are just to give you some ideas as you attempt to develop your argument. If you do answer some of these questions in your paper, make sure you do so in a way that is consistent with your overall argument.

• Does the character have heroic qualities?

• Is the character villainous in any way?

• How does the character regard his or her own actions? Is this the same as how other characters in the work regard these actions?

• What is this character's community like? What are its standards governing behavior? How well is the character integrated into his or her surrounding community? How is this community different from our current community?

• Does this character have any idiosyncrasies that are worth our attention?

• What is the character's class? Which characteristics serve to define that class? Does the character seek to change his or her class status, or does the character strive to maintain his or her current status?

• What is the character's gender and how does this gender restrict or liberate this character?

• What are the defining moments in the life of this character? Are there any defining moments in this character's life that take place outside of the literary work in question (i.e. before the beginning of the story)?

• Why should an audience of readers in the year 2004 care about what happens to this character?

• What does the author of the work think of this character? (Often, though not always, authors reward virtue and punish evil in their characters, so the story's outcome tips us off as to their attitudes toward these characters.)

• What distinguishes this character from other characters in the work? What distinguishes this character from other characters in literature? Does this character have any doubles or counterparts in the work?

Procedure

1. Take another look at the book you will be writing about for this assignment. Look back over your notes and reread important sections of the book.

2. Develop a thesis statement that addresses the questions in the above prompt for your book (or choose a different topic after discussing it with me). Of course, this thesis will be subject to revision once you have written an argument.

3. Write a draft of your argument in support of your thesis. Refer directly to specific words and phrases in the chosen work in supporting your argument. At some point, write an outline of your argument, so that you can make its structure as clear as possible to your readers.

4. Bring a word-processed, properly formatted draft to class on April 19 for peer editing.

5. Revise your draft after that class. Consider the feedback you have received from your classmate as well as your ideas as you rework your argument.

6. Having completed your revisions, proofread your paper. Watch out for typos, incorrect punctuation and other problems. Do not hesitate to consult a style manual if you have questions (Keys for Writers is one style manual that is easy to find on the UMD campus, but there are numerous others that will work just as well.)

7. If you wish, sign up to consult with me about this draft in a student conference.

8. Turn in the completed final draft and peer-edited working draft on April 28 in class.

Some (More) Writing Tips

I have developed these tips from comments I had about Assignment One when I graded it.

1. Follow the MLA format for citations. Include a list of works cited at the end according to MLA format as follows.

   Examples:

   Haruf, Kent. Plainsong. New York: Random House, 2000.

   Lowell, Robert. "Skunk Hour." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry. Second Edition. Ed. J. D. McClatchy. New York: Vintage, 2003. pp. 10-12.

2. Some grammatical tips:

   1. Remember the pointers that I gave you with Assignment One:

      • Avoid the passive voice.
      • Avoid contractions in academic writing.
      • Italicize words that you use out of context. (Example: What does iniquity mean?)
      • Remember the difference between its and it's.
      • Avoid comma splices.

   2. More about commas. When using a conjunction (and, or, but, because, yet, etc.) you must often put a comma before the conjunction. It depends on whether or not there is a second subject-verb pair after the conjunction. If there is, then you need to put a comma before the conjunction. If there is only a second verb, but for the same subject as before, then you should not put a comma before the conjunction.

      NO COMMA: Erica went to Cloquet and ate a nice meal.

      COMMA: Erica went to Cloquet, and Fred stayed home.
      COMMA: Erica went to Cloquet, and she ate a nice meal.

   3. Type a hyphen (-) twice to produce a dash (--). In Microsoft Word® a double hyphen will become a dash automatically, if you-trust me on this one-set it to do so in "Autoformat as you type" under the "Autoformat..." menu. However, it is a good idea to avoid using too many dashes in a paper. Commas often accomplish the same thing more gracefully.

   4. Transitions. These are words that serve as signposts pointing out the direction of your argument to your readers. Some of these transitions are like "One Way" signs leading your reader on to the next point. Others are like "U Turn" signs indicating a reversal of direction. There are other more subtle transitions that alter the tone or indicate approval or disapproval of what you are discussing.

      One Way Signs (leading from before to after or from cause to effect)

      Robert Lowell goes to prison for being a conscientious objector to America's involvement in World War II. Subsequently he becomes one of the most influential America's poets of the 1950s.

      Helga Crane finds Axel Olsen's suggestions improper. Consequently, she eventually rejects his marriage proposal.

      Jack Kerouac's characters idolize African American jazz musicians. Therefore, we must be careful about how we interpret their reactions to other African American characters in the novel.

      U-turn Signs (establishing a contrast between ideas)

      Whereas Bertha Dorsett will do anything to advance her social status, Lily Bart avoids actions that will defy her loyalty to people she cares for.

      Helga genuinely loves Dr. Anderson. However, her endless conflicts with her community prevent her from expressing her affection for him.

      These are just a few examples of the numerous transitions out there that can help you arrange your ideas. Most style manuals will give you a more exhaustive list of options and fuller explanations of how to use them. Your best resource, however, is your own experience with written and spoken language.

      Keep in mind also that these transitions are often the most important as you move from one subtopic in your paper to the next. Very frequently, the first sentence in a new paragraph needs to provide the reader a clear transition between ideas in the previous paragraph and ideas in the new one.

   5. Verb tense. Though it may seem peculiar at first, it is customary to refer to events in a story in the present tense. In discussions of the literature in class, you will notice that we tend to follow this rule as well. Keep to the present tense in your papers.

      Sometimes, this is hard to do, especially when discussing the author's life: "Edith Wharton grew up in an aristocratic New York family at the end of the nineteenth century." It makes sense to refer to author's life in the past tense in this case, but return to the present tense when addressing events in the story: "House of Mirth tells the story of a young woman who initially must choose between pressures to marry for love and pressures to marry for money."

      Every once in a while, it is necessary to refer to past event in the story that you are discussing in the present tense. The present perfect tense is perfect for this problem: "Sal wakes up in Mexico City to find out that his best friend has abandoned him."