Write a paper on one of the books we have read for this semester. You may choose from any of the books on the reading list including the ones we have not yet covered in class (O'Neill, Plath). If you write about a book of poetry, then you will want to consider more than one poem from the book.

Bring a draft to class for peer-editing on April 12. Peer-editing is helpful in many ways, but it does not serve as a substitute for careful revision. It is your responsibility to determine which peer-editing comments are helpful and which ones you would prefer to ignore.

In each case, you will want to make an argument about your topic and support that argument with quotations (best evidence) or paraphrases (not as good as quotations, but sometimes unavoidable). When using quotations, do not allow them to replace your own ideas, but rather, use them to support your ideas. Explain what the quotation means and how it contributes to your argument. Sometimes, the significance of a quotation is in something other than its literal meaning, and it is necessary to explain that significance to your reader as well.

You should choose one of the following topics for this assignment:

• Codes—How does literature comment on official or unofficial codes governing human behavior? Are such codes good or bad? Should we obey them unquestioningly or follow them to the letter?

• Education—How do we learn to function as adults? What sort of education takes place outside of school? What is the difference between a good education and a bad education?

• The Hero and Heroine—What makes a person heroic? What are the advantages and disadvantages to being heroic? While there are numerous heroes in epic poetry from centuries past, is it possible to be heroic in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? How?

• America vs. Europe—How do American writers try to differentiate their literary tradition from that of Europe? What kinds of problems do the demands of being an American writer pose to such writers? What role does European culture play in their works?

• Ethnic and racial difference—Differences between different cultures have shaped the lives of all Americans. Explain how your chosen work describes these differences and how these differences influences the predicaments of its characters.

• Nature—What is nature? How does the chosen work define Nature and distinguish it from that which is not nature? What is the main character's connection to Nature and what are the problems associated with this connection?

• Choose your own topic. Check it with me first.

As with all papers, grammatical correctness and clarity of ideas are important to getting your argument across and getting a good grade on the assignment.