English 212 Response Papers: Instructions and Questions
Work for this course includes 8 very short response papers. You may write up to 10, if you like, and the lowest scores will be dropped. Each paper is worth 5 points. You may only write on a particular text once, even if there are two questions about that text.
Response papers are due at the beginning of class on the first day we discuss the text you have chosen. No exceptions. You have many choices for topics, so if you can’t get it done in time, pick another. I highly recommend that you print a copy of your response paper for yourself as well as for me; this can be a helpful reference for in-class discussion.
Each response paper must be one page long--not longer, not shorter. Head the paper with your name only. Choose a meaningful title for your paper. Then, if you like, skip one line and begin your paper. Do not waste space on other heading material. Your paper must be in 12-pt Times New Roman (or very similar), double-spaced, and it must be within two lines of one page in length (in either direction).
There are excellent reasons for all of these rules. It is not easy to write a short, cogent argument. This course will help you develop that skill. If you can write a clear, supported argument, which uses examples from the text to prove a persuasive thesis--in one page--you will be well on your way to high-quality analysis and thinking. Your longer essays will be expansions of these short papers, and the response papers give you the opportunity to practice making these arguments with less of your grade at stake.
Here is the rubric for grading the response papers. As you can see, my expectations are quite clear.
To earn 5 points, a paper must be well-argued, with a clear and persuasive thesis statement (one that answers the question!). It must have adequate and well-chosen textual support (from the readings). It must be reasonably polished and organized, and it must be proofread, with no glaring mechanical errors.
To earn 4 points, an essay must have a clear thesis statement that answers the question. It may be a bit more predictable than a paper that earns 5 points, or there may be mechanical errors, or it may be less organized. If it has all of those problems, it is a 3 paper, not a 4.
To earn a 3, the paper is generally competent but has a vague thesis statement or muddy evidence; or, the argument is sound but the execution is sloppy, disorganized, or full of mechanical problems.
Most papers fall into those categories. However, a paper that contains inaccuracies or that contains no evidence to support the thesis, or a paper that has no thesis statement, will earn 2 points. A paper that does not fulfill any of the requirements, but does prove that you have read the text, earns 1 point. If it is clear from the paper that the writer has not read the text in question, it earns 0 points and the writer will be asked to confer with me personally about the problem.
The way to assure that you do well on these essays is to plan ahead and allow enough time to write a sound argument. It takes longer, for most writers, to write a good one-page paper than a decent 3-page paper, so plan accordingly! It is NOT a journal entry, a blog entry, or a blurb--this is a real writing assignment and I expect an academic paper, albeit a short one.
All references to the texts must be cited. You do not have to tell me what text you are using, provided that you are using the edition ordered for the course; just include parenthetical citations that tell me what page your evidence comes from. We will discuss this in class during the first week.
As with any writing assignment, plagiarism/academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Questions for Response Papers--please read the questions ahead so that you can think about them while you’re reading the texts.
- In The Return of the Soldier, is Jenny a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
- Describe West’s treatment of sexuality in The Return of the Soldier. Is this a sexy book? Why do you think so or think not?
- How does “The Mark on the Wall” use history to foreground the current war?
- Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” is one of the most famous essays of all time. Who is the audience for this essay, in your opinion?
- In James Joyce’s story “The Dead,” Gabriel repeatedly thinks about going out to walk in the snow. Why? What is he drawn to about the snow? What does it symbolize?
- How does Joyce describe the role of the family in “The Dead”?
- In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde inserts a number of philosophical passages (mostly in the speeches of the characters). Is this successful? Why or why not?
- Compare the style of The Picture of Dorian Gray with that of The Importance of Being Earnest.
- In The Importance of Being Earnest, what does Wilde suggest about the rules of society?
- Graham Greene’s novel The Third Man wasn’t written as a novel but as a screenplay treatment (to sell as the basis for a film). In what ways does it show its cinematic origins?
- Why do you think Daphne du Maurier doesn’t give her narrator a first name?
- In Rebecca, what is the role of Manderley (the physical estate)?
- Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent is a very early discussion of terrorism. What does Conrad seem to be saying about it?
- Describe the role of newspapers and media in The Secret Agent.
- Compare the mystery-writing styles of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. How are they similar or different?
- How does Pat Barker define patriotism in Regeneration?
- What does Regeneration suggest about the value of psychiatric therapy?
- Compare the messages of Sassoon or Owen’s poem against that of Rupert Brooke.
- Is Pride and Prejudice a feminist novel?
- What does Jane Austen say about the rules of society?
- How does Mr. Darcy prefigure some of the other masculine heroes that we have encountered this semester (such as Maxim from Rebecca)?
- In The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro examines the lives of the servants in a big British house--how does this perspective affect your understanding of the servants in Rebecca or the Agatha Christie story?
- Is Stevens a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
- How does The Remains of the Day depict the war?
- Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is in many ways a discussion of London’s poor and the fact that the wealthy have a responsibility to them. How is Christmas a logical setting for this argument?
- A Christmas Carol has been widely adapted in many forms, most of them unsuccessful. Why is this novel so difficult to adapt for stage or film?
EXTRA CREDIT: You may submit one extra-credit response paper over the course of the semester, if you so desire, on one of the films of one of the texts for the course. Choose a text and a film of that text and write a response paper that compares the two. A list of films is available on the course blog (see the link on the right sidebar). If you are interested in viewing one of these films and cannot obtain it elsewhere (check Hornbake Library), please see me for assistance.
