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Christa Wolf, Cassandra

Guides to the text:

Task:

Read the text of Cassandra only.

You don't have to read the four essays that follow.

Compose a paper, 1 page in length, that addresses an aspect of the novel.  Suggested topics appear on the Guide to Who and What

The primary purpose of the assignment is to encourage you to read the text closely and to engage the ideas contained in it. The secondary purpose is to help you practice your analytic and writing skills in a highly disciplined manner. Be concise. Organize your thoughts coherently.

Required:

1. Identifiable thesis sentence.
2. Topic sentences at beginning of each paragraph.
3. A title - something meaningful, not "Paper Three."

Spelling, grammar, and everything else you learned in English 111 counts.

Strategy: Read the text.
 
  • Take some notes.
  • Understand its contents.
  • Discover the relationships between ideas in the text.

When writing select One Theme only.

  • Lots of evidence from the text.
  • Formulate an argument: "This book is about x , and here's why."
  • Organization - so we can read your paper quickly and see where your argument is going.
  • Clarity - be clear. (see evidence)
Citations: Footnotes, endnotes, bibliography are not necessary.  Simply indicate the page number in parentheses.  For references to the Oresteia (not required), indicate with title, comma, line:  (Agamemnon, 1272-84).
Rules: One page
Typed in a font not smaller than 10 point
Double spaced
One-inch margins all around
(no staples, no cover sheet - just your name at the top.)
Grades:

Papers will be evaluated on their

  • reasoning
  • clarity
  • organization
  • use of specific evidence from the text

Do NOT merely summarize the text.

Writing: When you finish reading the tragedy, write a first draft where you try to develop your ideas for the first time. After completing the first draft, set the paper aside for a while. Think critically about your own work, and if possible have a friend or family member critique your draft. Then write the paper a second time. Before turning the paper in, proofread it for errors. And above all, use your spell checker.
Due:

Wednesday, April 30 - via Blackboard.

 

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