Prompt

Write a 2,000-3,000 word essay that presents and develops a cohesive argument about at least one element from A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Elements include: character, setting, plot structure, point of view, motif/theme, or concept. You may write about more than one element (e.g. if you write about a theme, you will most likely use evidence about one or more characters and/or settings and/or plot points that relate to that theme).

A successful essay will present, develop, and support an arguable claim about how and why you are analyzing the novel. Analysis is an act of interpretation, which is a form of argument. Provide evidence to support your analysis and convince your readers that your analysis is persuasive. Body paragraphs should include clear, substantive analysis of evidence as well as explanations about why those details and your analysis support your main argument. Concrete details include passages (aka quotes), dialog, character, plot, epigraphs, theme, etc. Smoothly integrate evidence by embedding quotes and unpacking their deeper layers of meaning.

You must move beyond a denotative reading (e.g. surface) and persuade your audience that your interpretation of connotations (e.g. subsurface, subtext) is compelling. The body paragraphs and conclusion should also endeavor to answer the so what? question. In other words, why is it important that we read your analysis? What insights are you offering, and why do they matter? Spoiler alert: your insights DO matter, so practice articulating your insights and explaining the reasons why your insights matter. See the section below for some tips about developing significance.

Potential Topics

You all have permission to design your own topic based on at least one element from the novel without getting approval first. If youd like to pursue that option, here are some questions to consider:

• What topic in the novel interests you the most? Following the directions up above, analyze at least one element in the novel by focusing on a topic of your choice. Try to build from the conversations that we are having in this class. Please feel free to ask for feedback on your topic via e-mail or during class and office hours.

Other potential topics (we can add to this list as our class conversations about the novel progress):

• How is the concept of the barbarian portrayed in the novel, and why is that important?
• How is the concept of empire portrayed in the novel, and why is that important?
• How is the concept of identity explored in the novel, and why is that important?
• Some possible subtopics include the concept of the self in relation to imago machines/memory lines as well as the concept of the self in relation to the Other. Many scholars have defined what Otherness means, but one super simplified definition is that we often define ourselves by creating an us versus them dynamic. The Other is a fictional category that becomes a container for everything that is not us.
• How is one characters journey portrayed in the novel, and why is that important?

Note: if your analysis engages with concepts of race, gender, sexuality, and/or other identity categories. Please use the readings from The Signs of Life to help you talk about those identity categories.

Reminder: No AI Allowed at Any Stage of the Writing Process

Make sure you form your own analysis instead of relying on an AI to brainstorm or develop ideas. I recommend brainstorming on your own with just your class notes and the assigned readings for help. If you get stuck, ask questions in class, or visit Student Meeting/Office Hours, or go to the ARC.

Additional Requirements

• 2000-3000
• Original essay title that is related to your analysis
• Analysis of concrete details from A Memory Called Empire with proper citations.
• You may choose to conduct outside research if needed, but make sure you cite carefully.
• MLA formatting
• Correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation
• Works Cited page

Tips on How to Answer the So What? Question

There are multiple ways to develop significance. Here are some questions to help you generate ideas. You do not need to answer all of these questions.

• Sometimes significance is personal (what something means to you).
• Sometimes significance is about the text (for example, why is a certain characters arc important for analyzing the novel as a whole? Or, what does focusing on one theme help us understand about the novel as a whole?).
• Sometimes significance is about a shift in genre expectations, which sometimes relate to larger trends or concerns in our society.
• Sometimes significance is about what the text demonstrates about American culture. How can analyzing details from the novel help you make a larger claim about an American cultural myth or value? Perhaps youre interested in an enduring myth, or maybe youll be asking: what does it mean to read this novel now in 2026?

Tips for Analyzing Novels

• Keep practicing the semiotic method. Remember that words are also signs with denotations and connotations. Use the practice weve done all quarter to help you select and analyze relevant concrete details from the novel.
• Well be reading selections from Digging into Literature, which you can access through the Bedford Bookshelf subscription or through the Rivera Library Course Reserves. Feel free to read beyond the assigned sections as you select and develop your topic.

What You Will Do

1. Select a Song
2. Choose a song with substantive lyrics that allow for analytical depth. The song must be appropriate for academic discussion and approved by the instructor.
3. Develop an Arguable Thesis
4. Your thesis should make a specific claim about how the song works rhetorically.
5. Example structure:
6. In [Song Title], [Artist] uses [specific rhetorical strategies] to argue that [interpretive claim], positioning the song within [broader context].
7. Conduct Research
8. Incorporate at least two credible secondary sources, which may include:

• Scholarly articles
• Interviews with the artist
• Cultural or historical analysis
• Music criticism

1. Secondary sources should support and deepen your analysisnot replace it.
2. Integrate Evidence Effectively
3. Your essay must demonstrate:

• Clear distinction between summary, paraphrase, and quotation
• Proper use of signal phrases
• Accurate MLA in-text citations and Works Cited page
• Analysis that explains the significance of each quoted or paraphrased passage

1. Sustain Analysis
2. Each body paragraph should begin with a claim and include:

• Textual evidence from the song
• Interpretation of specific word choices
• Explanation of rhetorical impact
• Connection to your broader argument

1. Your final draft will be due on Thursday, March 12, 2026, by 11:59pm EST. This suubmission must be 4 full pages, Works Cited will be the 5th page. Compose in third person, present tense.

What This Is Not

• A personal reflection about why you like the song
• A summary of the lyrics
• A biography of the artist
• A music review

Your focus is analytical argument grounded in textual evidence.

Evaluation Criteria

Your essay will be evaluated based on:

• Strength and complexity of thesis
• Depth of rhetorical and literary analysis
• Effective integration of sources
• Organization and coherence
• MLA formatting accuracy
• Academic tone and clarity

Instructions

Step 1: Choose and Review Research Sources

Review the articles below, which are all about misinformation, disinformation, and critical thinking. Choose 13 to serve as your source material for this assignment.

Step 2: Select Three Analytical Strategies

Choose three of the six analytical strategies listed below, for a total of three paragraphs.

• Analogy: Making the Unfamiliar Familiar
• Cause and Effect: Connecting Events and Outcomes
• Classification and Division: Breaking It Down
• Compare and Contrast: Highlighting Similarities and Differences
• Problem and Solution: Addressing Challenges
• Definition: Explaining What You Mean

Review the tutorial for more details on how to use these strategies or paragraph frames.

Step 3: Write One Paragraph for Each Analytical Strategy You Selected

Each paragraph should:

• Include a label with the strategy you are using in that paragraph.
• Begin with a clear topic sentence that is aligned with the strategy you are using in that paragraph. Remember, this is a claim that you are making and should not be a factual statement.
• Have a topic sentence that reflects the kind of analysis you are creating for the frame you chose.
• Incorporate evidence from the sources provided (you can use the same source for all three paragraphs, a different source for each paragraph, or any combination).
• Provide analysis that supports the paragraphs purpose.
• Include in-text citations in APA format for each paragraph.
• Be approximately 150200 words in length (which includes any in-text citations).

Step 4: Edit, Revise, and Submit

• Proofread your paragraphs.
• Confirm that each paragraph uses a different frame/strategy and follows APA guidelines. Include the name of the strategy with the paragraph that uses that frame.
• Submit your work as a single .doc or .docx file.

Youre almost there! This practice will sharpen your revision and critical writing skills and better prepare you for your final argumentative essay.

Part 1:

For this assignment, we are going to look at the three, main sentence types, Simple, Compound, and Complex. Download ( attached )

for a brief explanation of each and the proper ways to organize and punctuate each of them.For the second essay, you will be expected to use a variety of sentence types. There isn’t really a rule about the order or frequency of sentence types in a paragraph, but as a reader, we do expect variety, rhythm. If we see too many simple sentences in a row, it will make our writing feel stilted. That won’t work. It will seem basic. We will sound like a child. (See what I did there?). That said, there are times when we want to use a sentence type repeatedly. Doing so can create emphasis, so this is really more an art than a science.

As such, I am asking you to write a paragraph on any subject that makes proper and varied use of the three sentence types listed on this handout.

Part 2: Discussion responses (1-2 sentences per response)

Once part 1 is complete, I will add 2 classmates post that you can respond to.

e will be using food as a lens for storytelling and cultural analysis.

Please refer to the email I shared with the class with information on sensory and food writing.

Write 1-2 pages about a food connected to family, culture, or tradition. What memory surfaces when you think of it, and why does it still matter?

Current Event Paper Format – (Please view before submitting your Journal) Name Date Title of the Article How to Write One-Page Journal This is just the guide and you dont need to write inside the frame. * 1/3 of the one-page journal should be the summary of the article. * 2/3 should be your opinion. * The paper should be one page, be typed, 1.5-spaced using a 1″ margin all around and Times New Roman, 12 points. * You need to apply in-text citations. Examine attached MLA 2009~Formatting and Style Guide~. About 2/3 of the paper should be your comment. Analyze the article and write your critical comment. If you dont have enough space, you can lower your font size. Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Article Name. Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication. Date of access. Modern Japan / Chapter 3 /Overcoming and overcome by modernity Modern Japan/ Chapter 4/ Economic miracles and the making of a postmodern society Chapter 5: Overcoming denial: contemporary Japans quest for normalcy (pp.124-150) Epilogue: Japan in the 21st century (pp.140-149) Film Title: Departures (2008) Film available here: YouTube Links to an external site. Director: Yojiro Takita

Create an arguementive essay using only using the Lazio Daodejing, Coates Between the world and me, and Harpers We are all bound up together. No outside sources needed or citations page.

please follow this prompt and rewrite following humanities essay format.

You must use Laozi, Harper, and Coates to answer this question: Would any societal prescriptions in the Daodejing be helpful in the communities of Harper and Coates?

You will be arguing why is not beneficial to the communities. You must write one counter paragraph.

Please rewrite what concepts I have used for far. Forming a thesis statement in the first paragraph with a claim and then a clarification claim as well.

Please DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES ONLY CITING WITHIN THE TEXT. NO WORK CITIED PAGE.

Search websites of the 50 largest police agencies in the United States to explore how many women are in positions that are higher than the level of patrol. Using VoiceThread present your findings. Feel free to create presentation slides to illustrate your findings. Your presention must contain 5 slides and last 4 minutes. The presentation should include the following: Were you surprised by the results? Why or why not? Share why think the results are what they are.