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(Return to Exercises for English 2327)
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Writing the Personal Critical Essay
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Definition 
A "personal critical essay" is an essay that reflects the analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of a literary work by a reader. 
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Analysis 
"Analysis" is the process of identifying distinctive parts of a subject.  Such an approach to a literary work identifies one or more essential or important motifs (elements) in the work, illustrates the same through citing exemplary passages, and explains the relationship(s) of the motif(s) to other key elements in the work. 
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Interpretation 
"Interpretation" is the explanation of meaning(s) within a literary work.  Interpretations can be derived from three sources: the worlds of the author, the reader, and the literary work itself.  Interpretations that reflect only meanings imposed on a work based solely on the reader's experience are seldom satisfactory or valuable.  At the same time, to insist that biographical information about an author's life clarifies the intent or meaning in a work can be equally unreliable.  The most useful interpretations are those that reflect the "world of the work," that is, explanations of meanings that are clearly justified by what happens and is presented in the work itself.  In writing an interpretive paper, then, a clear analysis of what is actually stated in a text is essential in clarifying the intended meaning. 
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Evaluation 
"Evaluation" is a judgment or argument on behalf of a position.  As a judgment, a paper explains why something is right or wrong, good or bad, significant or insignificant, justified or unjustified, etc.  As an argument, a paper takes a stand for one option selected from among all the possibilities.  Judgment or position papers are based upon close textual analysis and a clear understanding of relationships within a work. 
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Instructions for the Assignment 
Your task is to write a three-to-five page, double-spaced typed (word processed) paper analyzing, interpreting, or evaluating one or a combination of the works that we are reading this semester.  The format of the paper should follow the general outlines of an academic essay including an introduction with a clearly defined thesis sentence; a body that includes both textual references as well as quotations from important passages from the literary selection; a conclusion that does more than simply summarize your major points (projection, expansion, evaluation, description, echo, etc.)  The final copy should be attached to a fully developed rough draft,  Papers that are not attached to the rough draft will be returned automatically for editing and revision. 
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Below you will find paper topics from which you are  to select one as the focus of your essay. After you have made your selection, consult with your instructor about the topic and ways to approach the development of the essay. 

Paper Topics 
1) Burlesque in Colonial American Writers 
2) Edward Taylor: Metaphysical Poet 
3) The Primary Ethics of "Civil Disobedience" 
4) Benjamin Franklin: "Self-made Man" 
5) Rationalism in Selected Colonial Political Essays 
6) Calvinism in the "History of Plymouth Plantation" 
7) The Use of Nature in Selected Romantic Poems 
8) Anne Bradstreet: Neo-Classical Poet 
9) The Empiricism of Thomas Paine 
10) Spiritual Illumination in Selected Transcendental Writings 
11) Scholastic Principles at Work in Colonial American Writings 
12) Hawthorne's Tragic Vision 
13) The Source of Evil in Melville's "Billy Budd" 
14) Deism in Selected Colonial American Writings 
15) The Symbolic Use of Nature in Selected Romantic Poems 
16) Poe's Development of the Ideal Short Story 
17) Radical Individualism in Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" 
18) Free Verse and the Theme of Democracy in Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" 
19) "American Expectations" in Early American Literature 
20) The Frontier in Selected Colonial Writings 
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Criteria for Evaluation this Assignment 
Your essay will be evaluated on the following criteria: 
1) Use of standard English writing conventions (correct spelling, grammar, sentence construction, punctuation). 
2) A demonstrated understanding of the complete literary work under analysis. 
3) Use of textual references and important quotations to support your claims. 
4) A fully developed three-to-five page paper. 
5) Timely submission (a paper late for any reason will be devalued by one letter grade off the final assessment). 
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The instructor reserves the right to require any student to revise a paper for any reason before assigning a final grade. 
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A Note about Plagiarism 
Plagiarism is the intentional use of someone else's writing or information without documentation or submission of someone else's writing as your own.  Plagiarism constitutes academic dishonesty and will not be tolerated.  Flagrant plagiarism in an assignment/exam will result in an automatic "F"/0 on the assignment and an "F" in the course and possible suspension from the college and scholastic probation. 
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The instructor does not need to prove plagiarism by identifying an actual source; suspicion of plagiarism is a function of an instructor's qualification as an expert in the discipline.  A student whose work is suspected of plagiarism will be asked to consult with the instructor.  The instructor will ask the student to discuss the content of the primary work and any secondary resources relevant to the exercise.  The instructor may choose from several options in response.  In some cases, the instructor may ask the student to discuss the topic and related readings or to rewrite a portion of the paper as a part of the interview.  If in the event the instructor becomes satisfied that the student is not the author of those passages in question, the instructor may 1) ask the student to revise the paper, 2) ask the student to rewrite the assignment on a different topic, 3) withdraw from the course, and/or meet with the Vice President for Student Services or Executive Dean for Arts and Science. 
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Failure of a student to comply with an instructor's request(s) regarding suspected plagiarism will constitute grounds for failure in the course.  Students who wish to challenge this policy should first consult with the instructor and then request a meeting with the Chair of the Department of English who will schedule an appointment to discuss the situation. 
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A Comment on Internet Resources 
Students are encouraged to read and use information from online resources linked in this course CD-ROM.  However, all references, whether quotations, paraphrases, summaries, or even allusions, must be documented appropriately internally within the essay and in a "Works Cited" page at the end of the essay or assignment. 
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Electronic Monitoring of Student Writing 
The instructor uses ZDNET "Eve" software to scan documents suspected of Internet plagiarism. This software program functions as a search ending and can scan the full Internet for even selected key phrases in only a matter of minutes, identifying the address of each Internet source where the phrase or other content is found.   Students who fail to document Internet resources formally in their works are in violation of academic integrity as defined above in "A Note about Plagiarism" and will be dealt with accordingly. 
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This page was last modified on August 27, 2004,
and is maintained by Dr. Geoffrey A. Grimes.
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