A Lesson Before Dying

 3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN

USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.

USE THE EXAMPLE PAPER HANDOUT FOR MLA GUIDELINES!!

Refer to the class blog for outside source info:

https://eng215spring21.blogspot.com

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

A Lesson Before Dying

1. Education is very important in this novel, both its attainment and the lack of it. Tante Lou continually refers to Grant as “the teacher.” The other men call him “Professor.” Yet Grant hates teaching, echoing the feelings of his own teacher, Matthew Antoine. Contrast the opinions of education presented in this novel. Why do some seek it and others consider it a burden? What role does it play in the characters’ lives and the life of the community?

2. Reread the description of Vivian from Chapter 4 and the passage in Chapter 15 about Vivian’s marriage. What was the cause of conflict between Vivian and her family over her marriage? What causes the conflict between Vivian and Tante Lou over her relationship with Grant?

3. Paul earns Grant’s respect through his treatment of Jefferson and his visitors. How is Paul different from the other jail keepers? How do his actions at the end of Jefferson’s life demonstrate Paul’s goodness? Why might he have chosen to attend the execution even though it was not part of his job

4. Symbolism is important in this story as it is in many stories. Pick two or three symbols from the novel and explain the role it plays and its significance. Defend your thesis with outside sources and examples from the text.

5. Compare Rev. Ambrose and Grant’s approach to helping Jefferson. What did they disagree about? How did each man defend his beliefs? Defend your thesis with outside sources and examples from the text.

“Battle Royal”

1.  The main focus of this story is the reoccurring incidences of racial inequality. This is a story of several generations of an Afro-American family that dreams about improving their lives in a racially segregated America. For this question, explain what the main character experiences as he attempts to reach his goals.

· Your introduction should include:

1. Title and authors of primary (stories we have read in class) texts

2. Your thesis (Which depends on the question you write about from above)

· Never end a paragraph with a quote.

· Cite outside sources within in your text; if it appears on your works cited page it has to be used in the paper (direct quotes or paraphrasing).

· Always keep in mind: is this quote proving and supporting my thesis? If not, do not use it!

· WITHOUT A WORKS CITED PAGE OR OUTSIDE SOURCES THE PAPER WILL FAIL

· DO NOT USE “I”

SOME IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR ALL MLA STYLE PAPERS:

Do not use unreliable sources…for example:

Sparknotes

Bookrags

Wikipedia

Cliffnotes

123Helpme

Shmoop

Rewordify

Any site that has example papers and just tells you what to think. USING THIS SITES, OR ANY LIKE THEM WILL RESULT IN FAILURE.

NEVER INTRODUCE NEW IDEAS IN YOUR CONCLUSION.

AVOID USING DIRECT QUOTES IN YOUR INTRODUCTION OR CONCLUSION. Sometimes a quote from an outside source is okay if it captures the point of your thesis but avoid quoting primary texts.

You need to include in-text quotations and citations from whatever primary texts you are discussing and TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES!

Make a connection between the outside source you are using and your thesis and primary text.

Do not retell the story! Analyze and explain your thesis (which is your main point).

ONLY USE RELIABLE OUTSIDE SOURCES! Do not copy and paste or simply change a few words around from an unreliable source. If it was easy for you to find information to copy and paste from the internet, it’s just as easy for me to find it.

Make sure you get the character’s names right, as well as the author. It comes off as sloppy if you mix up characters or what the author wrote.

Read over your work. Have someone else read over your work. If I wrote on your paper to get help from The Learning Center, do it! Take your paper with you and they can help you out.

“Short Stories” (Quotation Marks)

Novels, Plays, and Films (Italics)

I have also attached a file with all this information for better reading.