Each student must develop a final essay project that will incorporate their knowledge of literary
analysis and Africawhich we have been developing this semesterwith their intellectual
talents and interests. The guidelines for the final project are mostly technical. All of the
conceptual parameters will be developed in consultation with TAs, the professor, and other
students. Students are encouraged to be both creative and critical while they pursue a project
about which they are passionate and/or intellectually invested.
Technical Requirements:
The final draft of the Final Essay must be 8-9 pages long (about 2500 words).
Write about at least two texts that we have studied. You can choose them both from the
second half of the semester, or you can choose one from the second half and one from the
first. If you choose a text from the first half of the semester, it cannot be one about which
you wrote for the Midterm Essay. The division of texts is elaborated below.
The essay must include at least two citations from scholarly journal articles. The
instructional team will provide some guidance about what we mean by scholarly.
The essay should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman font.
Include your name and an original title at the beginning.
Use a standard citation style, and provide a Works Cited, or bibliography at the end.
Only upload Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files or PDFs to Canvas.
Texts
First Half of the Semester (Choose no more than one)**
Sundiata, Things Fall Apart, Weep Not, Child, Xala
**You do not need to write about a text from the first half. You can choose two from the list below.
However, if you do choose one of the above texts, it cannot be one about which you wrote for the Midterm
Essay, unless you receive written permission (via email) from the Professor.
Second Half of the Semester (Choose at least one)
o South African Poems, The Guilt, We Need New Names, Hope and Other
Dangerous Pursuits, Osuofia in London, Death and the Kings Horseman, Elesin
Oba, Spider the Artist, Pumzi Poems by Warsan Shire or Romeo Oriogun
Objectives
Students will gain experience conceptualizing and crafting a project in literary criticism.
In evaluating the strength of the students argument for the final grade, instructors will
take into consideration the creativity and utility of the project. These features of the essay
should be carefully developed during each stage of the composition process, from
proposal to final draft.
Students will develop skills combining literary analysis with research. If the work of
other scholars constitutes a conversation about a particular idea or text, students will
enter into that conversation with their own analysis of an idea or text.
Students will continue to develop skills in crafting clear, but sophisticated
communication. The argument of the final project should be complex, but the method of
supporting it should be clear and straightforward. Students will have the time and space
to craft, revise, and articulate lucid writing about abstract and complicated subjects.
Students will pursue writing not only as a method of communication, but as a method of
knowledge production and discovery. The proposal assignment requires students to put
forth specific ideas, but these ideas will certainly change and evolve as the project takes
shape. This assignment will give students an opportunity to pursue a clear agenda, but
also allow their thinking to evolve as the data is analyzed and as new information comes
to light.
Here is my propsal: Title: Guilt, Power, and Misunderstanding in Post-Colonial African Narratives
Texts/Films: The Guilt , Osuofia in London
Post-colonial African literature demonstrates that power between Africans and Europeans does not vanish after colonialism but rather endures through guilt, miscommunication, and inequality. Lilian’s encounter with the man at her gate will be evidence in “The Guilt,” particularly the way she simultaneously feels fear, sympathy, and resentment, demonstrating how racial and economic inequality still affects day-to-day existence. Additionally, I’ll concentrate on the circumstances surrounding Osuofia’s visit to London and the ways British institutions misinterpret and handle him in the film. I’ll use those scenes to demonstrate how comedy reveals enduring colonial presumptions.I will use close reading, paying particular attention to tone, irony, and character behavior. I want to demonstrate how African literature can highlight the subtle ways that colonial history continues to influence identity and social relationships even after official colonial rule has ended by contrasting a serious short story with a humorous movie. This is significant because it implies that, despite the apparent disappearance of old power structures, they continue to have a significant impact on post-colonial society.
Attatched is my rough draft that was written by AI, I need a full human version ready to submit by tomottow which cant be caught on any AI checker.