Midterm Essay

Midterm Essay

Topic: Of your own choosing—see guidelines below
Length: Five pages
Format: Double-spaced with a 1-inch margin on all sides; 10 or 12 point font; on 8 1/2” x 11” paper; printed on one side of each page only; in accordance to MLA Style guidelines; name, date, my name, and class number single-spaced in upper, right-hand corner of first page; pages numbered; stapled in upper, left-hand corner; printed in black ink.
Bibliography: Three references minimum, of which two must be sources other than websites (published articles found in full-text versions online, such as those in PDF format, count as regular print references).

Topics:
Option 1: Compare and contrast two works that we have read for class in order to address an image, theme, or motif of broad significance to the course as a whole—such as travel writing, landscape, ecology, or nature.
Option 2: Explain Carson’s ability in The Sea Around Us to effectively appeal to both literary and scientific sensibilities in her perceived audience. What sort of a portrait—informative, argumentative, poetic, or otherwise—is she making about the sea in the book? Pick two chapters, each from a different section, and use them as the primary sources of evidence for your argument.
Option 3: Discuss Celati’s narrative technique in Voices from the Plains. In recounting the various stories, what does he reveal and what might he choose to keep to himself? How much invention do you think is at play in this book? Are his stories realistic, believable portraits of human behavior and interaction with the landscape?
Option 4: Come up with your own topic (email me by March 9th with a proposal for approval).

Thesis and Evidence: In your paper you should make your central concept and the criteria by which you are making your evaluations clear. Be sure to include specific textual references, such as quotations from, selected paraphrases of, or brief summaries of your source text(s). You should also respond to at least two other critical opinions with which you agree or disagree (for this you should draw upon the outside references). In addition, be sure to carefully define at the outset what you consider to be key terms, such as landscape, scenery, panorama, place, and space.

Make sure that: you have a clear thesis; the criteria for making your evaluation is clear; you have enough good, specific evidence; your essay is well-organized with clear paragraphs that include topic sentences and transitional phrases when necessary; there are no more than three typos or grammatical mistakes per page (none would be ideal); and your paper is interesting to read.

Audience: Your paper should be written for a general audience; assume that your audience is not familiar with the subject of your essay. A brief summary or general description may thus be necessary in the introduction.

Reminder for next class, Wednesday, Feb 17

Please remember to print a hard copy of your exam to turn in at the beginning of class on Wednesday, February 17th. Also, please go ahead and begin reading Carson (the calendar of reading assignments remains unchanged).

Discussion Questions: Barry Lopez, Crossing Open Ground, pp. 1-53

Discussion Questions: Barry Lopez, Crossing Open Ground, pp. 1-53

1. Write one open-ended question on an aspect that you found problematic* about Crossing Open Ground.



2. Trade questions. Take about 5 minutes to respond to the question that you receive.



3. Return the questions. Write a response to your own question, taking into consideration the response of your classmate.



4. In pairs, locate one passage that you think is representative of Barry Lopez’s writing style. Explain why in writing.



5. In pairs, locate one passage that you think is representative of an important moral issue for Lopez.



6. Are the three essays you have read all examples of travel writing? Why or why not?



7. How do the three essays differ in terms of content, subject matter, approach, writing style, tone, diction, and theme?



8. What do you think that the title Crossing Open Ground means?



*Problematic: debatable; open to doubt or debate; a problem or difficulty in a particular field of study; posing a problem; unresolved.