Category: Literature

Purpose:

You will create and submit a mind map that visually explores and organizes your ideas for one of the following topics:

• Compare/contrast gender roles and expectations in “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid to gender roles and expectations in today’s society.

Link:

Suggested Mind Map Tools:

Directions:

• Pick one of the four prompts listed above to focus your mind map on.
• In the middle of your page (or digital canvas), write your chosen topic as the central idea.
• Create Main Branches
• From your central idea, create at least four main branches:
• Example Branches:
• Text Example: Key points/examples from the story.
• Personal/Societal Example: Key points/examples from your own experience or today’s society.
• Similarities: How the story and real life are similar.
• Differences: How the story and real life are different.
• Expand with Sub-branches
• Off each main branch, add at least two specific details, quotations, examples, or observations.
• Think about questions like:
• What emotions are involved?
• What social forces are at play?
• How does technology, gender, or culture shape behavior?
• What are the consequences of alienation, technology, or societal roles?
• Visuals and Organization
• Make your mind map easy to read:
• Use different colors for different branches if possible.
• Use shapes, icons, or brief phrases (not long paragraphs).
• Be creative, but go for clarity over decoration.
• Final Product
• Your mind map should:
• Cover the full compare/contrast task
• Show organized, thoughtful connections
• Be neat and visually clear
• Demonstrate engagement with both the text and real-world reflection

Example Mind Map: below

Purpose

This assignment is designed to specifically focus on the dense nature of a short story while understanding the new globalized Asian immigrant.

Instructions

This is a group discussion. The course instructor will assign you to one of the 6 groups listed below and you will need to work together to create your initial post. Only one person per group will submit your group’s initial post, but each of you will need to individually reply to 2 posts.

Initial Post

Your initial post is due by March 13th. It should be at least 150 words long. Your post must offer a minimum of THREE references to the story given to your group and a minimum of TWO references must come from the supplemental readings.

For my group – Group 6 -The Third and Final Continent

How do you comprehend the idea that one has moved across three continents before setting down roots? Is this a fitting concluding story to this collection? Finally, since you are analyzing the last story in this volume, I want to point out that critics often find fault with what the call the authors elitism. Her characters are educated, middle class or above, not trapped down by bourgeoise ideas, and move freely across the globe. Do you agree with this criticism?

Below is the initial reading: (please note as stated in the instructions there is also supplemental reading as well that needs to be included in the discussion. I’ve attached the supplemental readings here)

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

The bulk of Asian immigration from the Indian subcontinent did not occur until after WWII. The

Cold War meant that America needed more scientists, doctors, and engineers who could fulfill

the need to win the technological race with Russia. Where better to bring them from than Asia?

By 1947 India had become independent of British rule. The British had left the subcontinent

impoverished beyond imagination. The new government of a free India decided education was

the only way to crawl out of the poverty hole. With a focus on science and technology the

country produced a generation of doctors and engineers who began looking for lucrative careers

elsewhere. America found their brain source in this wave of Indian immigrants. Lahiris short

stories reveal the struggles these immigrants faced in America. In particular these stories focus

on women and children who accompanied the educated men on their journey abroad.

Chronologically, the collection is a mixture. The stories do not necessarily entirely represent the

early Cold War immigrant experience. Some of the stories deal with second generation

immigrants who are living in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. What is also important for us

to consider is the difference in the ways in which immigration itself is constructed in the post-

WWII era and beyond. Unlike an earlier era, there is now a free movement of peoples between

continent (based of course on visas and passports). Families are permitted to move into the

United States as opposed to the exclusionary laws of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These

immigrants appear to be educated. Also, we find that immigration is no more a point A to point

B movement. Immigration is now a back-and-forth movement. Home is no more a lost space. It

is a space immigrants choose (and are able to) to return and visit.

Although the stories differ in theme and content, there are some common strands to look for.

Food is a good example. Food as nostalgia, food as identity, food as togetherness and belonging

all these ideas recur through the tales. Marriage and family are also common threads. These are

important concepts in any society. But perhaps they take on a new importance for the immigrant.

Immigrants are strangers in a strange land. Family is a source of solace and comfort. It is also a

place where the immigrant may feel a sense of belonging. The immigrants desire to establish

cultural identity is also strengthened through family. Sometimes marriage does not survive the

immigrant journey. In A Temporary Matter, a stillborn birth remains an unspoken wound

which eventually witnesses the end of a young Indian-American couples relationship. In a

sense, the title word maladies reverberates through the entire book, and the reader is witness to

the many maladies or sorrows arising from the uprooting of one culture and the birth of a new

one.

When you write a book review, imagine that you are guiding a reader who has not yet read the book. Your task is not only to summarize the story but also to evaluate the book and explain whether it is effective and worthwhile. Choose one of the books we have discussed in the class. Begin by introducing the book clearly (150-200 words). Mention the title, the author, and the general context of the work. Provide a brief sense of what the book is about so that your reader understands the subject, theme, or storyline. This introduction should orient the reader without revealing too many details.

After the introduction, move into a concise summary of the book (500-600 words). Focus on the main ideas, events, or arguments rather than describing every detail. If the book is a novel, highlight the central conflict, main characters, and setting. If it is nonfiction, explain the authors main thesis and the key points used to support it. Your goal here is to give enough information so the reader understands the structure and purpose of the book.

Once the summary is established, shift toward analysis and evaluation (700-800 words). Discuss what the author does well and where the book may fall short. You might consider the clarity of the writing, the development of characters, the strength of the argument, the organization of ideas, or the originality of the work. Support your opinions with specific examples from the book. A strong review does more than express personal preference; it explains why the book succeeds or fails in certain areas.

It is also helpful to reflect on the themes or messages of the book and how effectively they are conveyed. Consider the intended audience and whether the book meets their needs or expectations. Think about the broader significance of the workwhat readers might learn from it, how it contributes to its genre or field, and why it matters.

Finally, conclude your review by offering a clear overall judgment (150-200 words). Summarize your main impressions and indicate whether you would recommend the book. A thoughtful conclusion leaves the reader with a strong sense of your perspective and the value of the book. Throughout the review, maintain a balanced tone, write clearly, and support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Do not forget to cite the class readings.

I need the paper by tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions.

check the picture uploaded for instructions. that is all that is given for this assignment.

Jackie Nixon as the covert antagonist in Sarah Hall’s The Carhullan Army.

I have uploaded a sample term paper for you to know the layout requirements (I will do the first page myself) and an initial secondary source for you to use.

For your

first

essay assignment for this semester, Id like you to think about

how we

can think about the work of either Elena Ferrante or Karl Ove Knausgaard in terms

of the logic of serialisation

.

Your assignment is to write a structured essay of around 1,500 words

that responds to the following prompt:

Think either about the extracts provided from Elena

Ferrantes My Brilliant

Friend

or Karl Ove Knausgaards

A Death in the Family

(feel free to read further

into these novels

,

or indeed the

Neapolitan Novels

or My Struggle series

,

if it

helps and

/

or interests you

, the library can help you out here

). How do the

tropes and conventions of serialised forms weve been thinking about

so far

this semester help us elucidate the Ferrante or Knausgaard writing project?

I am open to alternative but similar essay titles (Id be delighted to read something

about

Madame Bovary

or

The Mysteries of Paris

, for example), but please discuss any

such radical departures with me first).

Id suggest that your starting point should be thinking about how you might articulate

some of the tropes and conventions

of serialised novels

(research will

be essential

here)

.

In terms of structuring your essay, I’d like you to think about clearly articulated

arguments, backed up with appropriate (and

correctly cited

) primary and secondary

source material. If you are unsure about the conventions of academic writing, and

how these conventions are interpreted at the American University of Paris, please

make an appointment either with your professor or the AUP Writing La

b (who are

still

existing,

virtually).

The

following

link

might

be

helpful:

https://www.aup.edu/academics/academic

–

career

–

resources/academic

–

resource

–

center/writing

–

lab/writing

–

resources

. If youd like to discuss your initial ideas for the

essay, please feel free to make

an appointment with me

.

I do not want you to use generative AI in the writing of this project. I suggest that

AI tools will not provide the most perti

nent, thoughtful or fruitful research for

secondary source materials for you

. If you do make use of AI, please attach a short

report of how you have used it

to your submission.

Submission

1. Which topic from the Portfolio Guidelines have you selected?

I selected post-pandemic mental health and wellness.

2. What is the specific problem you have identified?

The problem is that the pandemic affected elementary and high school students differently, with younger children struggling with basic learning and social skills, while high school students faced stress, anxiety, and academic pressure.

3. What are the 2 solutions to the problem?

One solution is age specific mental health support in schools. Another solution is targeted academic programs for each age group, such as early learning support for elementary students and counseling for high school students.

4. What is the counterargument to the 2 solutions?

A counterargument is that schools may not have enough funding or staff, and some believe students will adjust over time without extra help.

***NOTE: I attached a annotated research, please use those citation , total of paragraph is 4, each paragraph must had a citation, and the citation must go in the middle and do not add any subtitle***

Literary Analysis Essay Assignment Description English 232 For this assignment, you will select a single work from the readings we have done for this semester (or a comparison of 2no more) and compose an essay of at least 1000 words demonstrating your ability to argue an interpretation of a literary text. The thesis is up to you, but it must be cleared by me before you begin your essay! Some places to begin might be analyzing the uses of literary elements (character analysis, themes, symbols, conflicts, etc.). You may choose to analyze a single element from one work and discuss how that element works to create a significant meaning. You may also chose to look two of the pieces we have discussed and write a comparison and/or contrast of the element you have selected from the stories (again, character, theme, symbols, conflicts, etc). There are many possibilities! Please select one that is meaningful and interesting for you! You MUST select and quote from at least two outside, scholarly sources in MLA format for this essay. This could be literary analysis or something like scholarly texts from history or psychology to set up background information for the characters. For more details, please see the next page. The absolutes: 1000 words written in MLA format with at least two outside sources quoted in the story and cited on the Works Cited page. your name, the class title, the date on the upper left-hand side of the first page your name and page number in the upper right-hand corner in the header after page one And it should be a complete critical analysis of 1000 words, typed, double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font. 1. Make sure you conform to all MLA formatting conventions and quote from both of your sources in the essay. 2. Make sure you use the word narrator or speaker to denote the person telling the story. The voice in which the story is told does not necessarily represent the author him or herself. 3. Give your essay an appropriate title. Do not underline or put quotation marks around this title, but do capitalize first letters of all important words: Mothers and Daughters. If you include the title of the fiction in your title you do want to indicate that is a title by putting quotation marks around it: Mothers and Daughters in Everyday Use” 4. Dont say I believe or I think or in my opinion in your essay. Readers should be aware that literary analysis deals with forming opinions that are then supported, so it is redundant to say these are your opinions. 5. The first time you mention it, formally introduce the authors whole name and the story title. Thereafter, refer to the author by his or her last name. Beginning: In Flannery OConnors Good Country People, Later: OConnor reveals Hulgas state of mind by…. Also, put quotation marks around titles of short stories, poems and lyrics, such as Good Country People and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. 6. State your thesis early (a common place is the end of the introduction, but the introduction can take more than one paragraph to form). Provide an introductory paragraph or more; body paragraphs where you make claims and provide evidence (quotes, paraphrases, facts), explanation and reasoning to support the thesis; and a conclusion. 7. Use the present tense to describe events in the story unless you must distinguish the past from the present. Connie feels trapped by the oppressive expectations of her family. Hulga convinces herself that she is the sophisticated one in all of her relationships. 8. Do not ignore the ending of the story, because thats where the meaning really takes shape. An analysis of what the ending finally does to the meaning of the story as a whole is essential even if you analyze it only briefly. 9. Organization: Avoid summarizing the story. You don’t have to tell readers everything that happens in the story and often the best evidence you have to support your claims will come late in the text, so do your best to hunt evidence and organize around supporting your thesis with that evidence. Start body paragraphs with claims such as “The main character’s behavior shows that she is selfish” or signal phrases that remind us you are about to introduce another piece of evidence. “More evidence that she is selfish can be found in the scene where her husband tries to talk her into moving to a less expensive apartment.” If your body paragraphs begin with summary statements such as “First the couple wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of the faucet dripping” that’s a sign you may be summarizing instead of analyzing where you make claims and then back them up with evidence. Look at opening sentences of your body paragraphs to check if you are analyzing properly and really writing an essay. A note about introductions. Your introduction should include your thesis, but sometimes you want to work up to that. A good place for it is often late in the introductory paragraph, perhaps even the last sentence of the introduction, because once you have stated it, the reader wants to start hearing why you interpret the story as you do. So what do you write before the thesis? It makes sense to introduce the author and title somewhere in the introduction. If you are going to use any important terms that need defining, make sure that you do that when needed. But besides those essentials here are 3 different suggestions of ways to introduce a literary analysis: 1) Explain a way or ways the story has already been analyzed by other critics, to show how your reading is fresh and different. 2) Begin by introducing the author and his or her background (this is especially effective if you will be using biography as part of your argument). 3) Introduce an issue or theme you will focus on in your essay, historical roles of women or men, for example, or the nature of religious faith in general or a quote from another text that is relevant to what occurs in the story. Also, look at other pieces of criticism from other models in the online library database. See what kinds of introduction you prefer and use that style in your own essay if appropriate. Also: A very nice technique is to use a pertinent quote as an epigraph to focus the attention of your readers on the relevant theme of your essay. The quote can be from another work entirely or from the story itself. Integrate it with the following format: The Creeps Much madness is divinest sense To a discerning eye; –Emily Dickinson Connies perception of sanity changes radically in Joyce Carol Oates short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. If viewed by the protagonist, Connnie, at the beginning of the story, she would deem her own actions just a day later as total madness. But in the end, her madness makes quite a bit of sense… A note about conclusions. Your readers may have different needs depending on how you have proceeded in your paper. A Big Picture or So What Now conclusion is often effective. Dont make new claims about the text that need supporting, but do analyze why what youve revealed in your essay is interesting or important, perhaps to the meaning of the story. Circling is also very effective. If you come back to something you said much earlier, it will give readers a very clear feeling that you have completed your task. For example: When Emily Dickinson claims Much madness is divinest sense she describes perfectly the irony that what looks like madness, like the behavior of Connie in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, is clearly both logical and sane… This would be a circling technique if it came as the ending for an essay that began as in the last example listed above, the example with the Dickinson quote. Langston Hughes