English 1B

Fisher Phillips 1

Essay #1: Argument Literary Analysis: Examining Binaries in The Things they Carried

In all of our lives, we have encountered moments when we have failed to live up to the roles, standard,s and rules set up by society. Stereotypes of truth-telling, bravery, intelligence, and/or gender roles are implicit in our lives; they often dictate how a person is supposed to behave, supposed to look, even to sound, yet oftentimes they are impossible to live up to. These stereotypes are the social constructs, the cultural myths, about humanity that you will deconstruct for this essay. Your job will be to show how these rules and standards are actually contradictory in nature are binary oppositions by using your own experiences and the experiences of the soldiers in The Things They Carried as evidence.

Steps of this assignment: 1) Write a reading journal and a proposal by February 11 (journal #3 & #4) See guidelines on page 2. 2) Peer Review due February 13 (bring two copies with you to class) 3) See a tutor by February 17 (remember that your tutor slip must be stapled to your final draft to receive full credit slips signed after the 17 will not receive credit). 4) Final draft is due February 18 (must be stapled; must include peer review, proposal, tutor slip and final draft).

Form checklist: Write a 4-5 page essay. The essay must be at least 4 full pages. If it does not comply, it will receive an automatic fail. All essays must use MLA format. The Essay will include an introduction, 3 body paragraphs with quoted material, and a conclusion. Body paragraphs should integrate 1-2 quotes from the novel each, as well as evidence taken from your own experiences and observations. Each paragraph should be fully developed; as a guideline, plan for your paragraphs to run 1/2 a page to 2/3 of a page long or longer depending upon content. Essays should be written using clear and specific language, and should be carefully edited for of common sentence error issues, such as comma splices, run-ons, fragments, and/or subject-verb

English 1B

Fisher Phillips 2

agreement errors. If you know that you make these errors, please notify me ahead of time so that I can provide you with the necessary resources to fix them. Content: An introduction and a creative title that capture the readers attention. The paper is focused by a clear thesis statement written as a complex sentence that introduces the social construct and your plan for deconstructing it. The paper is focused and stays on topic; each paragraph connects to the thesis statement. Clear and specific topic sentences tell the reader what to expect in each paragraph. I used I.C.E. for each quote and T.R.I.A.C to develop my paragraphs. I transitioned between each paragraph. In the conclusion, I reinforced my thesis statement and came to a graceful closing. Reading Journal (In preparation for essay): (Counts as Journal #3) Due Tuesday, February 11 2 pages, typed 1. List as many possible examples as possible that might go into the essay. 2. Find 4 relevant quotations from The Things They Carried. Type the quotations and analyze them in as much detail as possible. Proposal Questions: (Counts as Journal #4) Due Tuesday, February 11 1 page, typed 1. What do you plan to write about? 2. Why have you chosen that topic? 3. What do you want your reader to learn or understand from your essay? 4. What obstacles or challenges might you face as you write? How will you overcome those? 5. When & where will you write the essay? *Note: You are free to transfer content from your journal and proposal into your final essay.