Essay Topic: “Maus” by Art Spiegelman (1980)
instruction:
Write a ten-paragraph paper (with an introduction, eight supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion). These assignments are close readings aka you will only cite (quote/paraphrase) from the texts/media you are writing about in your essay. You will not be citing from outside sources, such as scholarly articles, journals, and/or other research materials.
Your critical analysis papers are the major way in which you will be writing out your thoughts on the works of literature we will be reading during this semester. I am a big believer in giving students choice for their essays. Therefore, you can choose to complete each of your critical analysis papers in one of the following ways:
– Analyze one piece of literature we reviewed in class.
– Ex: Write a queer analysis of Orlando: A Biography. – Analyze two pieces of literature we reviewed in class.
– Ex: Write a feminist analysis of The Lady With The Toy Dog and A Man Like Him. – Analyze one piece of literature we reviewed in class and one other piece of media of your
choice.
– Ex: Write a class analysis of The Most Dangerous Game and The Purge.
You are going to create a thesis statement based on your own interpretation of the material. Try not to overthink this assignment. I am looking for a focused, refined argument in support of a thesis statement based on your critical/literary analysis of the text. You can do character analysis, character comparison, thematic analysis, or any other number of avenues you can think of. Do not simply summarize the story; that is not analysis. I encourage you to visit any type of literary theory or analysis that you find engaging, enjoyable, or fascinating.
MLA Style Parenthetical Citations must be used (no block quoting). An MLA Style Work Cited page is required.
~~~~~~~~~~ Additional Information:
Create a unique title for your paper. You must use Times New Roman font at size 12. The paper must be double-spaced. Paragraph format is required.
I encourage you to be unique with your writing. Taking risks is how we learn. If you feel the need to fall back on traditional ways of writing, you can follow these steps for your supporting paragraphs: 2-3 sentences to introduce your point, a citation from the source material that backs up your point, then 2-3 sentences explaining how the citation backs up your point. However, it is much more interesting to go into detail describing your analysis.