American Literature II Writing Assignments

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT & PLAGIARISM

All acts of plagiarism and scholastic dishonesty, including having someone complete assignments for you and using AI tools improperly, are violations of academic integrity subjected to disciplinary action.

Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own.

Self-Plagiarism, which is submitting a paper you completed in another class (K-12 or college), is also forbidden.

If you plagiarize and it is unintentional, you will be given a warning. If you are asked to choose another topic or rewrite the paper, the professor is obligated to report your misconduct to the chair, dean, and Student Affairs. After the second incident, you will face disciplinary action. However, if you commit an act of plagiarism or scholastic dishonesty and it is intentional, you could receive an F in the course and face serious disciplinary action.

The professor reserves the right to subject students to a one-on-one Zoom conference in the event of suspected academic dishonesty, plagiarism, or improper AI usage. The professor reserves the right to subject students to a face-to-face conference in the event of suspected academic dishonesty, plagiarism, or improper AI usage. You must have an updated ACC ID card (with your photo) or visit the nearest ACC campus to update your Student ID card with your photo prior to scheduling the conference.

Each paper is assessed based on the criteria set by this grading rubric. Click Here for Paper Guidelines and Policies.

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Paper One: 1000-1500 words (Maximum 200 points)

For this paper, choose one of the topics below or suggest another one for approval. In your paper, you must use at least one work from our reading list (the Late 19th/Turn of the Century or Modern Period). Throughout your essay, use examples from the works and research to support your analysis.

Early 20th century America was troubled by many different kinds of conflicts over race, ethnicity, and class. Choose two or three texts and describe how each exemplifies these conflicts. Possible choices include: Whitecloud, "The Gift of the Magi," Bonnin, Washington, Hughes, Baldwin, Du Bois, and "Gregorio Cortez."
Explore the relationship of nature versus industrialization as exemplified in the following 2-3 of the following authors and/or readings (from the Late 19th/Turn of the Century and Modern Period), such as Whitecloud, Bonnin, Millay, Jewett, Frost, Williams, Moore, Ghost Dance Songs, Chopin.
Examine gender roles in the writings of at least one work from from the Late 19th/Turn of the Century and Modern Period, such as Alcott, Hemingway, Jewett, Brooks, Williams, Porter, and Chopin.
T. S. Eliot makes several references (allusions) to ancient works and writers in his poetry, such as: Greek mythology, the Hebrew and Christian bibles, Milton, Shakespeare, and Dante. Discuss Eliot's allusions to 2-3 of these works and their purpose in achieving greater understanding of his work. If Eliot does not appeal to you, examine the allusions in one of the other Late 19th/Turn of the Century and Modern writers.
Examine loss and death in the poetry of 2-3 poets such as Millay, Frost, and Bishop. How does poetry serve as a buffer against mortality and meaninglessness? Provide the poets' use of figurative language where appropriate. Examples of figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, etc.
Polemical writers in each literary tradition use rhetorical language to move their audiences. Analyze the effectiveness of 2-3 writers such as Washington, DuBois, and Twain (specifically, non-fiction works). Feel free to branch out and make comparisons to Post-Moderns and Present Day writers such as King and Malcolm X or even early American Lit writers such as Douglass, Jefferson, and Paine. Examine the use of figurative language where appropriate. Examples of figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, etc.
Choose one of the writers from the reading list (the Late 19th/Turn of the Century or Modern Period) and write an essay showing how his or her life is reflected in one or two specific works.
Discuss the use of humor in the works of Mark Twain. Examine the author's use of figurative language where appropriate. Examples of figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, etc.
Kate Chopin uses water to symbolize rebirth, renewal, and even death. Discuss Chopin's use of symbolism (and/or metaphor) in her work, the connection to the setting, both cultural and physical, and how it fosters a better understanding of both the protagonist and the theme.
Several of the authors and works we are reading this semester (Chopin, DuBois, Lorde, Ginsberg, Cisneros, Baldwin, etc.) have recently been banned in states such as Florida and, unfortunately, Texas. Focus your paper on 2-3 authors and make an argument about the historical, literary, and social value of these authors and their works. Be sure to include at least one work from the Late 19th/Turn of the Century and Modern Period.

For Paper One, please use the third person point of view (in the intro and body paragraphs) and follow paper guidelines and policies. In the introduction, name the authors and works you will be discussing in the paper and provide any pertinent background information about the time period and author(s). In addition, provide the date of publication for each work analyzed upon first reference. Please examine the sample papers in the assignment folder for this paper in this paper before getting started. There must be a clear thesis statement (the last sentence of the introduction), topic sentences in the body paragraphs that each express a main point of the thesis, and a conclusion. You must use original ideas and thoughts and give credit to sources, using in-text citations, even when paraphrasing. In addition, your essay should utilize a variety of sentence structures and word choices, as well as transitional phrases and sentences. You also need to study the grammar review where the specifics of grammar and mechanics are covered in detail. Your conclusion must be written in the first person; you will reflect upon any insight gleaned from the topic.

The final draft must incorporate 3-6 scholarly sources, with 3-6 direct quotes (at least two from the research), using MLA documentation. Also, you will need to properly integrate and introduce quotes in your paper, and use in-text citations, whether you are quoting or paraphrasing. Don't give the article and journal titles in the body of the paper. Use in-text citations instead. The Works Cited is where your audience goes to view article and journal information.

Every body paragraph should include 1-2 short quotes, using quoted material from either the work or the research.

Your library sources should support your thesis, using scholarly articles from the library (don't Google or use unacceptable articles found in Content Farms).

To access the online library databases, go to the ACC Library and click A-Z list of databases, then click Subject. You will then choose Literature and Literary Criticism. With some topics, you might be able to find useful databases via the Multi-Subject link (such as JSTOR or Academic Search Complete). At some point, you will be prompted to type in your ACCeID and password. If you need help, Ask a Librarian.

In this paper, you might want to take a critical approach using a literary theory, such as the author's biography, the story's historical background, literary criticism, psychological criticism, feminist criticism, gender studies, ethnic studies, etc. Click here to look at some literary analysis papers that take a critical stance. There is at least one on ethnic studies, one on gender studies, and one on historical studies. These are from advanced college literature courses, but they still give you an idea of what literary theory encompasses.

Once you have a good foundation for your paper, I will need to see your outline. The outline should be no longer than one-half page and you do not have to use Roman numerals. The purpose of the outline is to examine the organization of your paper to make sure that you are on the right track. Submit your outline via the portal in the folder linked in Blackboard for this paper. I will review your outline and then let you know whether or not you need to make alterations. If I say that everything looks just fine, you can begin writing the paper. Once you have drafted and revised your paper, it's time to peer edit in the Discussion Board.

Please use the third person point of view (in the intro and body paragraphs) and follow paper guidelines and policies. There must be a clear thesis statement (the last sentence of the introduction), topic sentences in the body paragraphs that each express a main point of the thesis, and a conclusion. You must use original ideas and thoughts and give credit to sources, using in-text citations, even when paraphrasing. In addition, your essay should utilize a variety of sentence structures and word choices, as well as transitional phrases and sentences. You also need to study the grammar review where the specifics of grammar and mechanics are covered in detail. Your conclusion must be written in the first person; you will reflect upon any insight gleaned from the topic.
The final version of this paper and all future papers (including the works cited) must be submitted as a single file (PDF, DOC, or DOCX) via Blackboard.

Please make a notation or submit a screenshot of any extra credit earned underneath your WC (no service learning--save that for Journal Three and Paper Two).

Each paper is assessed based on the criteria set by the grading rubric.

Click here to view sample papers and outlines for this assignment.

Paper Two: 750-1500 words (Maximum 200 points)--Three Options

Option One:

For this paper, choose one of the topics below or suggest another one for approval (you cannot discuss a work or author already addressed in paper 1). You must use at least one work from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day selections on our reading list.

1. What do Harlem, Post-Modern, and present day poets and songwriters have to say about some of the traditional themes of poetry: love, death, loss, or the passing of time? Choose one theme and use the works of at least one writer studied in this course to illustrate your points.

2. Discuss the use of humor in the works of Zora Neale Hurston. Examine the author's use of figurative language where appropriate. Examples of figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, etc.

3. Discuss the relationship between indigenous or minority cultures and the "mainstream" culture of white America in 2-3 of the following authors and their works from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day time period, such as: Hurston, Cisneros, Cervantes, Song, Brooks, Giovanni, Laviera, Lahiri, Xavier, Olzmann, Mullen, etc.

4. Many writers have described their works in terms of a search for empowerment or self-realization. Discuss the success or failure of 2-3 writers from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day time period, such as Hughes, Rich, Bishop, Ginsberg, Brooks, Plath, Lahiri, Xavier, King, etc., in achieving these goals.

5. Compare and contrast the use of 3-4 figurative language devices in 1-2 writers from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day time period, such as Baldwin, Bishop, Moore, Plath, Ginsberg, Rich, Cervantes, Brooks, the songwriters, etc. Examples of figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, imagery, etc.

6. The ancient Greek poet, Sappho, wrote beautiful poetry about her love for another woman. Conduct some research on Sappho and "sapphic" verse, and then write a paper in which you discuss one or more feminists from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day writers (Brooks, Rich, Cervantes, Plath, Lorde, Lahiri, etc.) and discuss how their subject matters and/or style compare to Sappho's.

7. Choose one of the writers from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day selections and write an essay showing how his or her life is reflected in one or two specific works (the author must be different than Paper One if you chose this topic).

8. What is an American? Consider one or more writers from the Late 19th Century, Harlem Renaissance, or Modern Era, who captures a definition of an American, and make comparisons to one or more Post-Modern and Present Day writers who have a different spin. Answer the question using examples from the works of the authors.

9. What one issue or idea best defines the American literary tradition that we have studied (from 1865 until the present)? Was it the industrial revolution and its consequences that we still see manifest today? Was it the diversity in the writings we have encountered from authors that typifies our "melting pot" society? Was it the realism and even cynicism that grew out of the post-Civil War loss of innocence that had once defined us? In other words, are we still a society of "optimistic Americans"? Or was this era about something else? Make your case by discussing 2-3 authors from this course (and their writings) as evidence.

10. Write an analysis of 1-3 works from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day writers, making connections between the literature and historical allusions.

11. Discuss politically-charged issues (equity, inclusion, civil rights, gun violence, immigration, etc.) in the works of one or more authors such as Giovanni, Brooks, Hughes, Hurston, Dylan, Laviera, Xavier, Olzmann, and Mullen.

12. Why did Xavier dedicate "Urban Affection" to Walt Whitman? Compare and contrast the lives and works of both men.

13. Several of the authors and works we are reading this semester (Chopin, DuBois, Lorde, Ginsberg, Cisneros, etc.) have recently been banned in states such as Florida and, unfortunately, Texas. Focus your paper on 2-3 authors and make an argument about the historical, literary, and social value of these authors and their works. Be sure to include at least one work from the Harlem, Post-Modern, and Present Day writers.

14. Discuss the social statement and/or impact of one of the songs on our list by doing a deep dive on the artist(s), theme, style, and time period (you can discuss other music created by the band members or songwriters). Or, you can do a deep dive on the band or artist(s), theme, style, and time period of one of the songs by comparing and contrasting it to another present day song (doesn't have to be American). Be sure to discuss the use of 2-3 figurative language devices and provide examples from the songs to illustrate your points. Figurative language devices include: personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, metaphor, diction, irony, allusion, symbolism, repetition, alliteration, imagery, etc.

Option One papers must use the third person point of view (in the intro and body paragraphs) and follow paper guidelines and policies. In the introduction, name the authors and works you will be discussing in the paper and provide any pertinent background information about the time period and author(s). In addition, provide the date of publication for each work analyzed upon first reference. Please examine the sample papers in the assignment folder for this paper in this paper before getting started. There must be a clear thesis statement (the last sentence of the introduction), topic sentences in the body paragraphs that each express a main point of the thesis, and a conclusion. You must use original ideas and thoughts and give credit to sources, using in-text citations, even when paraphrasing. In addition, your essay should utilize a variety of sentence structures and word choices, as well as transitional phrases and sentences. You also need to study the grammar review where the specifics of grammar and mechanics are covered in detail. Your conclusion must be written in the first person; you will reflect upon any insight gleaned from the topic.

Every body paragraph should include 1-2 short quotes, using quoted material from either the work or the research.

Your library sources should support your thesis, using scholarly articles from the library (don't Google or use unacceptable articles found in Content Farms).

Click here to view sample papers and outlines for Option One.

Option II: Comparison/Contrast

Write a comparison/contrast of 2-3 short stories, poems, or songs of your choosing (at least one must be from our reading list). Do not use a work used in a previous assignment. Please try to choose pieces with similar themes and/or structures-- this is very important.

Your paper must include at least three direct quotes using MLA documentation. Every body paragraph should include 1-2 short quotes. In your essay, compare and contrast the central idea or themes of the works, as well as two dominant elements [point of view, setting, character, conflict, tone, and/or figurative language (imagery, symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, irony, etc.)]. Stay away from point of view in poetry.

At least one work must be from the Post-Modern or Present Day authors on our reading list.

Research is optional, but if you must conduct research, use scholarly sources.

Click here to view a sample comparison/contrast paper and outline.

Option III: Creative Writing

1. Write a prologue or epilogue for one of the short stories or novels on our reading list. Be sure to use the author's diction, style, and format. Be cognizant of the author's use of setting, point of view, character, figurative language (imagery, symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, irony, etc.) tone, and conflict. Include a paragraph analyzing your methodology. Type Prologue or Epilogue for your title and give the name of the work as well. Use MLA format for your heading, headers, and Works Cited. In the Works Cited page, you will create an entry for the original work.

2. Write a collection of five or more poems or songs (with titles) using the style of one or more of the writers on our reading list. Use at least two language devices (imagery, simile, tone, symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, repetition, irony) in each poem. Use MLA format for your heading, headers, and Works Cited. In the WC, you will create an entry for poems (from our reading list) that inspired yours. Finally, write a short statement analyzing your methodology after all the poems are presented, right before your Works Cited page.

3. Write a collection of five or more poems or songs inspired by the themes or the style of one or more of the writers on our reading list. Use at least two language devices (imagery, simile, symbolism, personification, allusion, metaphor, repetition, irony, etc.) in each poem. After each poem, give the name of the poet that inspired you and a short statement analyzing your methodology. Use MLA format for your heading, headers, and Works Cited. In the Works Cited page, you will create an entry for the works that inspired you from our list.

4. Write an original short story or a screen play (one act or more) inspired by one of the works from the reading list. Make sure that the literary elements are clearly utilized and support the central idea: setting, point of view, character, language, tone, and conflict. Attach a short analysis of the central idea, climax, and three or more dominant elements (tone, setting, character, conflict, POV, language) in the story. Use MLA format for your heading, headers, and Works Cited. In the Works Cited page, you will create an entry for the work from our list. Click here for a short story writing guide and here for a helpful guide to screenplay formatting.

Click here for a sample paper and outline for the original short story (don't forget the Works Cited page).

For the non-creative options (Options I and II), please use the third person point of view (optional in the conclusion) and follow paper guidelines and policies. There must be a central idea/thesis in the last sentence of the introduction, topic sentences in the body paragraphs, examples from the stories, documentation, and a conclusion with a works cited.

For all papers, you must use original ideas and thoughts-- your assignment should be thoroughly proofread, and utilize a variety of sentence structures and word choices, as well as transitional phrases and sentences.

Note: The hard due date for this paper is firm, and revisions for extra credit are not allowed. However, I will be happy to look at your rough draft and give you GENERAL feedback in the discussion board. Be sure that you post your paper for review in a timely manner.

For the first two options, please use the third person point of view (in the intro and body paragraphs) and follow paper guidelines and policies. There must be a clear thesis statement (the last sentence of the introduction), topic sentences in the body paragraphs that each express a main point of the thesis, and a conclusion. You must use original ideas and thoughts and give credit to sources, using in-text citations, even when paraphrasing. In addition, your essay should utilize a variety of sentence structures and word choices, as well as transitional phrases and sentences. You also need to study the grammar review where the specifics of grammar and mechanics are covered in detail. Your conclusion must be written in the first person; you will reflect upon any insight gleaned from the topic.
The final version of this paper and all future papers (including the works cited) must be submitted as a single file (PDF, DOC, or DOCX) via Blackboard.

Please make a notation of any extra credit earned underneath your WC (no service learning).

Each paper is assessed based on the criteria set by the grading rubric.

Click here to view sample papers and outlines for the research analysis (Option One).

Click here to view a sample comparison/contrast paper and outline (Option Two).

Click here for a sample paper and outline for the original short story for Option Three (don't forget the Works Cited page).

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Group Work

If you want to get together with 1-2 other students and agree to write the final paper as a group, I will allow it. You cannot write your paper as a group if you are using the creative writing option. If I observe a member who is causing the team difficulty by not participating adequately, not meeting deadlines for tasks, not communicating, etc., then that student will be removed from the team and asked to create a completely different paper on his or her own.

If you choose this option, I will expect to observe several activities:

1. Requesting that the teacher create a Group Folder in Blackboard.

2. Brainstorming and deciding on the topic, then submitting outline before the hard due date (all group members must submit identical outlines).

3. Dividing up various responsibilities regarding the paper and setting up deadlines for each responsibility. For example, you might want to decide that one person writes the introduction and conclusion, while other members write other sections of the paper. Either way, it is a group effort. Even if one person doesn't do his or her share, you are all still responsible for the final product. (I will deal with the person who is not contributing and you can certainly alert me to that fact as well.)

4. Putting together a rough draft for the paper that everyone proofreads and comments on. One person in the group must submit the first take; the other the second. All members of the group are responsible for helping two students or more in the Discussion Board.

5. Collaborating and communicating in a respectful manner throughout the process.

6. Submitting the final paper (with the names of all students in the group in the heading). All submissions should be identical with the exception of the conclusion, which is a first-person reflection.

If you have any questions or concerns about this option, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please note that the creative writing options DO NOT include the opportunity to write the paper with a partner or group.