Disability in Literature Mid-term paper

Disability in Literature Mid-term Paper: DUE THURSDAY OCTOBER 10^th

For this paper, you should select one of the texts (or the film) that we have read (or watched) for class and make a case for why it should or should not continue to be on the syllabus. You will want to use the text itself to make your argument. Consider both the style and content of the piece – what does it say and how does it say it?

This paper should make an ARGUMENT about a text. You need to come up with reasons why we should (or why we shouldn’t) read this text. Typically, your paper should have 3 to 5 reasons for why we should read the text. Not all of these examples will work for all of the texts, and please note that you do not have to use ANY of these particular examples. These are just samples to get you going:

It gives us insight into the diagnosis of a particular disability
It shows us how people live with a particular disability
It gives us insight into the history of a particular disability
The form/style is notable (what specific form, what specific style)
The author him/herself is notable (why?)
The text provides useful information for how to interact with people with disabilities
It provides details we might not otherwise know (what details? Why wouldn’t we know them?)
The writing style/form is particularly beautiful, or challenging, or easy, or difficult….
The content is particularly disturbing, or surprising, or confusing, or unusual…..
The characters are very realistic, or not realistic, or exciting, or relatable…..
The text gives voice to someone we might not otherwise hear or understand.

Here are the texts you could choose from:

Here are some generic samples of what a thesis for this paper might look like:

· Story X is an important part of Disability in Literature because it provides insight into C, it is a fascinating description of behavior Q, and makes an important argument about the issue W.

· The poems by author B should be included in our course because of their powerful descriptive language, their reflection on American culture, and the strong emotional ideas they display.

· It’s important to read memoir Z because it tells us about the finer details of life with X, reveals surprising information about W, and provides a great example of B.

This paper is due at the beginning of class on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10^th. The paper will be a maximum of five pages. Within that page limit, you MUST USE QUOTES from the texts that support your claims about the portrayal of disability. You should include a works cited list at the end. The paper must be in MLA style.

Things to AVOID in your paper:

· The paper should NOT be a plot summary. We all know what happened in the text; I want to see your analysis of and response to the text.

· This is NOT a comparison/contrast essay. You should focus on ONE and only one text.

· The paper is NOT a straightforward “analyze this story” paper.

· This paper is NOT an analysis of metaphors or a profile of a character, although you might have a paragraph that does one (or both) of those things as a specific reason or example to support your argument.

· You DO NOT need to do outside research for this paper. If you use outside sources, be sure to cite them; however, I expect that the only sources you will be using are the texts themselves, which should appear in your works cited list. Please refer to the earlier handout about MLA style for reminders about how to cite your sources and develop your Works Cited page.

· Be very careful not to confuse an AUTHOR with a NARRATOR or SPEAKER or CHARACTER. Also, be sure you’re being precise with terminology. For instance, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a novel (fiction), while Lynn Manning’s Shoot! is a play. Make sure you’re careful about how you refer to a text, and that you’re clear on who the “real people” are – for instance, Temple Grandin is a real person, who in the film is portrayed by Claire Danes, the actor; Grandin is also the author of our excerpt from “Thinking in Pictures.”

· BE CAREFUL about making claims about “best,” “first,” “most,” “the only,” and the like, unless you have some evidence. Check your facts – more than once – before making historical claims, and be sure you know the subject area thoroughly.

· DO NOT start your paper with any of the following: (Some of these are simply my own pet peeves, but they’re also general, vague, bland, or over-used – you can do better!)

Webster’s Dictionary defines “this word” as…..
Since the dawn of time….
Man has always….Humans have always….
Literature has always…All of literature……Literary history is…..
In our society…..In today’s society…..In modern society…
The purpose of this paper is . . . . In this paper, I will attempt to . . . .
“Friendship [or whatever]” means different things to different people….

Here are some reminders of things you SHOULD DO!

Ø DO give your essay a title. It should be more than just “Essay 1.” Put the title at the top and center of your first page. You DO NOT need a title page. Save that tree.

Ø DO create an engaging opening for your paper. Spend some time trying out different opening lines. Be dramatic. Be bold.

Ø BE SPECIFIC. Give examples! You have a case to prove, so you need to show evidence from the text itself.

Ø DO use quotes properly. This means introducing them, citing them, and providing proper context. In the case of quoted dialogue, who speaks the words in the quote?

Ø DO make use of the resources available to you, including your peers, the campus writing center, online writing resources, and your professor.

Ø DO start writing early; the best papers result from the multiple draft process. Even if you write a great paper on the first draft, developing a second draft will improve it.