Exercise 6: Analysis of the "Anti Hero"/Ironic Hero

Instructions 
Read T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Herman Melville's "Bartleby, The Scrivener."

Structure of the Essay
The paper should be organized as a traditional thesis-support essay. The thesis should make a claim about the element you select from the list above. Here's an example:

Bartleby rejects the conventional attributes of the hero in his embrace of annihilation.

This thesis anticipates a definition and characterization of the hero concept (identifying the type of hero he most clearly seems to reject). Then, citing specific passages reflecting his nihilism, build your description of Bartleby as an "anti-hero."

Content of the Essay 
Assuming the familiarity of the reader with the story, the essay should avoid a summary of the narrative line and focus on supporting the thesis. Use short quotations worked into the text of your own analytical sentences to provide support for the paragraphs. This is not a research paper and should reflect only your reflections supported by references to specific passages in the play. Each topic sentence should be a claim that adds support to your thesis. 

Format of the Essay 
Key-in the essay into the computer and save it. Each line should be double-spaced with only a single double space between each paragraph. Block only those quotations longer than four lines of your text. 

Criteria for Grading
Your paper will be graded according to the following standards: 

1) Development - Does the essay satisfactorily develop the thesis and meet the minimum page requirement? 
2) Organization - Does the essay reflect the thesis-support format? 
3) Use of Source - Does the essay make use of important supporting passages in the short story? Are all references to the store correctly documented? 
4) Style - Does the essay reflect diction and syntax appropriate to a literary analysis? 
5) Correctness - Does the essay reflect mastery of basic writing conventions (spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage)? 

For further information, see "Standards for Writing and Evaluating Literary Essays."

Sample Essay
You will find in this site a sample essay to give you a better idea about how to organize and develop your paper. 

Submission
Students must save all assignments in Microsoft Word.

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This page was last modified on February 10, 2006,
and is maintained by Dr. Geoffrey Grimes.