American Literature 251 / Midterm: Payne/SP/2025 Grade Weigh…
American Literature 251 / Midterm: Payne/SP/2025 Grade Weight: 20% of overall course grade Assignment: Write a literary analysis essay using one of the prompts listed below. A literary analysis looks at the literary text and analyzes it based on a specific writing prompt. It is not simply a book report or a retelling of the literary work. The following heading should appear on the top right of your document; follow all other aspects of MLA such as using formal language and avoiding the use of “you” or other personal pronouns, unless they are used in quotations. Your Name Dr. Mary Payne ENG 251 Xx February 2025 Observe a paper length of 500+ words. Write at least five paragraphs or more, but not less. You should have an introduction of your ideas, a thesis statement in the last sentence of the introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You may use first person (I) or third (he, she, it). Avoid using you, your, we, us, our, ours, etc. (unless used in quotes from the textbook). Creatively title your paper. End the introductory paragraph with your thesis. You may not simply summarize the content of the text; this writing requires textual analysis (in other words, avoid plot summary or writing a book report). Each body paragraph of the essay should advance one main point, and ideally that point should be mentioned in the topic sentence of the paragraph. You may not use any outside sources in your paper. The only source you should include is the primary source, which is the literary text you are analyzing. Use the source text to support the points you make in the paper (remember: analysis involves you making a point, supporting it with evidence from the text, and then analyzing/explaining how the text proves the point). Discuss textual features in the present tense even if quotations from the text are in another tense. Describe the historical context of the setting in the past tense. (Rowlandson suggests… -or- Crevecoeur argues…) When quoting or paraphrasing, be sure to introduce the quote/ paraphrase with a signal phrase (Rowlandson writes, “that night…”) and place quoted words in quotation marks with the page number parenthetically listed at the end of the sentence or section quoted. For example: (Rowlandson, 286). Quotes should not exceed 10% of the total paper.Signal phrases help the reader distinguish between your words/ideas and those of the text you’re analyzing. Your essay should not contain more than 10% text in the form of quotations. Prompts (select one): Using Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” (395), write an essay that argues for the main theme of this sermon. Be sure to use passages from the text to prove your points of argument. Using Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” (262), write an essay that characterizes the various perspectives Rowlandson presented of the Natives. Be sure to use passages from the text to support your points of argument. In “From Letter III. What is an American?” (553), J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur uses the perspective of a European traveler to describe the emergence of a distinct American identity. Write an essay in which you analyze the significance of this traveler figure in shaping the essay’s message. How does the traveler’s perspective highlight the differences between Europe and America? What insights does this outsider offer about the nature of the American character and society?