you will need to develop a nuanced argument about more than one of the texts we have read in class. Below, you will find (1) a prompt to help you frame your argument, (2) guidelines about what constitutes a good essay, (3) general guidelines for this specific assignment, and (4) a rubric for how your essay will be graded. On the course Canvas site you will also find a sample essay (from a different class context) that models effective rhetorical devices. That sample essay is shorter than this midterm assignment, but it may still be helpful as a model of effective argumentative strategies.

(1) Prompt: How does fantasy mirror, distort, or reconfigure our perception of the world? Compare two texts to consider the complex relationship between fantasy and reality. (Hint: your argument does not need to “answer” this prompt, and certainly should

not attempt to address the question in broad, theoretical terms – rather it should use the prompt as a starting point to generate an argument rooted in specific textual passages and details. The best arguments will begin with problems or conflicts that you are able to identify through a close reading of the text and will then use those textual problems to highlight larger conceptual issues.)