ENC 1102 Escapism in Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

Writing Assignment Number 1

ENC 1102

Final Copy due Sunday, 02/10

Length: Roughly 700 to 800 words (3 or 4 pages).

Please follow MLA format. (See Below) This is of utmost importance. Follow each and every rule listed. This is not optional.

Please choose one of the following on which to base your paper:

1. A person or thing that precipitates an event (the escape in this case) is called a catalyst. The desire to escape the confinement of everyday existence is present in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” “A&P,” and “Araby.” Choose one character from one story. Discuss the character and his/her desire to escape his/her reality. Why does that character want to escape his/her reality? Who or what serves as a catalyst (thesis) for the character you have chosen? How does that catalysis hasten the escape?

Use specific lines from the text to support your thesis.

Note: Arnold Friend is not a catalyst.

1. Discuss one literary symbol in one of the short stories we have read. Choose one reoccurring symbol in the text and stick with that. What does the object or person represent? How does that object or person influence the plot, the characters and the understanding of the theme? Use specific lines from the text to defend your ideas. No lists. Do not present a paper that discusses more than one or two closely related symbols; you will get a terrible grade.

Use specific lines from the text to support your thesis.

1. An interesting idea of your own. Be sure to check with me before you start this one.

General Guidelines for MLA format:

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper or save it as a word doc.
• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
• Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper:

• Do not make a title page for your paper.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, bold or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in “After Apple Picking”
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Tips:

• Do not use contractions (don’t, can’t, shouldn’t). It just looks and sounds unprofessional.
• Stay away from the pronoun I as much as possible. Discuss the characters, not yourself, your feelings or your thoughts. Your thoughts and feelings should shine through in your discussion of the topic without you having to mention them as their own entity.
• Do not make me part of your discussion by using the pronoun you. Avoid sentences like “You can see how much Sammy wants out.” Do not assume anything about the reader. Use the words the reader if you must.
• Do not make unsubstantiated (blanket) assumptions about anything. Do not start your paper out by saying something like “Life in 1960s was boring” or ”Everybody wants to change their lives.”
• Everything you write in your paper should in some way be substantiating your thesis. Everything.
• Be sure to mention title and author in the introduction.
• Papers that are submitted unstapled will automatically result in a loss of five points!