Writing task: Essay #3 asks you to focus on the human/ personal element of the shorts from Unit #3, which covers 1989 – 2015.

First Step: Review both sections on “Reader Response”
We will use a theory/ method of reading to frame the unit called READER RESPONSE. This means that you are essential within the text and reading the text — with this method, there is no right/ wrong answer, but your claims must be well supported.

The following will help guide you on reading/ framing your argument with this theory/ method:

What is READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM? What does READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM mean?

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Reader Response Theory

WEEK 12 SHORT — WINTERSON, LO, AND RAISON

Winterson’s “The Poetics of Sex” is our introduction into lesbian fiction. Winterson is a key writer in this genre and I’ve taught various works of hers for a while. This short, written in 1993, by this British writer gives you an interesting structure to look at a relationship between two women. It will be really helpful and enjoyable to hear Winterson talk about some of her ideas about marriage in this video.

Malinda Lo’s “The Fox” is part of a trilogy of stories, but you can read this one on its own just fine. her website says it <link is hidden> ” THE FOX” IS A SHORT STORY SET ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER THE END OF HUNTRESS. YOU MAY READ “THE FOX” WITHOUT READING HUNTRESS IF YOU LIKE, BUT IT WILL MAKE MORE SENSE IF YOU’VE READ THE NOVEL FIRST.” The setting of “The Fox” versus Winterson’s work are going to vary drastically, so get ready to flip your mind from one to the other. Lo dives right into retelling fairytales and fantasy. Lo and her work focus on LGBTQ issues in Young Adult fiction and Lo has worked herself to support more inclusivity in YA Fiction. You can follow her on twitter to hear more about this <link is hidden> – Lo also ranks on lists of gay/queer up and coming authors — for example int his piece “10 gay authors who deserve more recognition.”

Ross Raisin’s “When You Grow Into Yourself” is going to give you a tale of homophobia in a story of football. This British writer delivers on this short! — Raisin talks about homophobia in this short video that will help you contextualize the short.

WEEK 13 SHORTS — SMITH AND ASHANTE WILSON

WARNING — These are “long” shorts, so give yourself time. However, they are both awesome and really dig deep into characters, issues of migration, history, and are very relatable to issues we are talking about in 2019 in the US. I think you will really enjoy them!

Writing task: Your final essay will focus on engaging with the text as the reader. Prepare a well-crafted essay that follows MLA format and is 1,000 words (not including the works cited page) and addresses the following question. Your essay must have a clear arguable thesis/ main claim. After deciding which short (Tan, Cisneros, Lahiri, Lo, Winterson, Raisin, Smith, Ashante Wilson, Behm-Steinberg, Morrison ) you want to write about address the following: To what extent did your own views, relationships, and experiences lend perception to the character(s) in the shorts? Things to consider:
Major and Minor characters
Money and work
Family
Politics of the time/ Politics of today
Secrets
Social norms and/or roles
Sexuality
Gender
Historical context
Geography
Decide on ONE of the following questions below to write a well-crafted essay that follows MLA format and is 1,000 words (not including the works cited page). Your essay must have a clear arguable thesis/ main claim. You may briefly use personal experience and/or first person in these essays as long as it is supportive and relevant and not the sole focus of your essay. This is not personal narrative, rather argument backed by research. Counterargument is mandatory.

Remember you must have an argumentative edge. Meaning, you don’t just want to summarize what the text is about, but analyze and interpret. A counterargument is not mandatory for this type of paper, but feel free to explore one if it fits your topic.

Quoting from the works Carefully choose quotes from the poem, work, story or stories to support the arguments you are making in each paragraph. I would recommend including 1 brief quote (less than 4 lines of text) in each paragraph. You many include no more than 2 long quotes (more than 4 lines). Remember to provide analysis for each quote. Do not simply summarize the quote. Ask yourself, “why is this quote important?” or “how does this quote support the ideas in this paragraph?”

Quoting from Outside Sources: I am not mandating a certain number used of outside sources for this paper; however, I highly recommend you find books from the library or articles using the databases or Google Scholar. At least 1-2 outside sources will help support your main argument and claims. Wikipedia, Spark Notes, <link is hidden> Yahoo Answers or any similar study guide or Q&A websites are not acceptable sources for this essay.

I have designed a research page for this course; it will help you as a starting point for your papers. Click HERE

Remember, for your Final Draft:

Include a thesis with specific main points. Your thesis should CLEARLY relate to one of the questions above and mention the specific story or stories you want to focus on.
Be very specific! List your main points or reasons in your thesis statement.
Your thesis should be the last 1 or 2 sentences of your introduction.
Mention the full title and author’s first and last name somewhere in the introduction.
Include at least 1 quote from the texts in each paragraph.
Come up with an interesting title “Essay 3,” “Final Draft,” or using the title of one of the texts is not adequate. Create your own title.
Format: Your essay must be Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spaced, and must follow MLA style format (Refer to a style guide or check online).

Works Cited Page: You must include an MLA formatted Works Cited page with all the sources you’ve quoted from or paraphrased in your essay – even if they are from our textbook. Your Works Cited page is not included in your 1,000 word requirement.