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Essay 1:  Writing Guidelines


See the Essay1 Model


For your Essay 1, write a literary interpretation,
analysis or reader response paper related to one or more
of the readings for this unit.

For information on writing about literature and the expected
conventions for papers written in this class, read
Writing Tips.

Find a limited focus for your paper.
If you choose, develop one of the ideas presented in your
post to the class mail list. Feel free to use the discussion
questions as a starting point, too.

Consider audience.  This time it will be enough to say that
"other readers" may have a different interpretation.  In Essay
2 you will be incorporating one named critic.


Do not try to cover everything about the story in this paper:
instead, focus on one aspect of the story which intrigued
you.

Support your points.
Use plenty of examples and quotations from the story or
poem to support every assertion or insight you raise.

Required length.
Initially, don't worry too much about the length of this paper.
We'll let you know in our feedback to your draft whether your
paper should be developed more.

A good length to aim at for your final draft is around
500-750 words, minimum.


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