The prompts for your first formal essay, as well as other information you will need to complete this assignment, can be accessed by means of the “Essays” tab at the top of this page.

You will be writing an essay about a single text that we’ve read in the first part of the course, beginning with Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” up to and including William Blake’s poetry. The first step for you will be choosing which prompt you will be pursuing and which text you will be exploring.

These essays will be the outgrowth of your own close reading of the text, informed by our class discussions. You will NOT be consulting any secondary sources for this paper. Resist the temptation to look at any materials on line in an effort to get your own analytical process going, and keep in mind that should you include words or ideas that are not your own in your essay without crediting them to their source, your paper will receive an F, and you will be referred to the Dean’s Office for a violation of Baruch’s academic integrity policy.

Drafts of the essay must be submitted to me by email no later than 5 pm on Monday, October 17th. Mail your essay to [email protected]
The subject of the email should read: Your Name – Essay #1.

I will be providing feedback (but not line by line edits) on these drafts before October 24th, giving you plenty of time to address my feedback in the final version of your essay, which will be submitted via turnitin.com by October 31st.

I am also available to meet with you to discuss any aspect of the essay writing process during office hours or to answer questions via email. Some of you may choose to visit the Writing Center for extra support with this assignment. That is a great resource; be sure to leave yourself time to make an appointment if that’s something that interests you!

Can’t wait to read your work!!!