British Literature Essay
Learning Outcome(s) Addressed:
Analyze significant primary texts and works of art, ancient, pre-modern, and modern, as forms of cultural and creative expression.
Explain the ways in which humanistic and/or artistic expression throughout the ages expresses the culture and values of its time and place.
Recognize the ways in which both change and continuity have affected human history..
Practice the critical and analytical methodologies of the Humanities and/or Fine Arts.
Skills:
the ability to read primary British literature texts on a college level
the employment of critical thinking and analysis
the ability to write a college level essay that is well organized, stylistically appropriate, inclusive of good research support, and which employs good fundamentals of grammar, mechanics, and punctuation
Knowledge:
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to read critically at a college level and to analyze and express your understanding of the assigned readings through college level essay writing. Your ability to read and read well are essential for your continued success as a student and in your future workplace where as a college graduate you will be expected to demonstrate college level reading, analysis, and communication skills. The skills necessary to locate a specific information format are transferable to other formats and to search platforms that you will use in the future.
Task:
To complete this assignment you should address the following essay prompt:
For your essay, you should choose three of the assigned literary works (poems, stories, non-fiction narratives, plays, sermons, or speeches) covered thus far in the course and discuss how those texts navigate the British cultural identity. The Oxford Dictionaries define “identity” as “the characteristics feelings, or beliefs that distinguish people from others.” As such, you may wish consider how aspects of identity such as gender, race, religion, philosophy, politics, etc. shape British culture as demonstrated in the assigned readings. Your goal is to write a three to five page paper that is well supported by evidence and that demonstrates your understanding of at least one concept of the British cultural identity as demonstrated in the course readings so far.
To ensure a well-supported argument, be certain to include direct quotations from the assigned literary works (poems, stories, non-fiction narratives, plays, sermons, or speeches) in every body paragraph to support your thesis statement. While you may include quotations from the editorial sections of the textbook to establish context for your argument, your essay is about your understanding of the literature. As such, your evidence should primarily come in the form of direct quotations taken from the literary work. Once you quote from the literary text, explain how that quotation proves your point. Essays will be graded based on demonstrated knowledge of the assigned literature, basic essay structure, research incorporation, professional style, clarity, and grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.