3

Reading & Comprehension

NFG: Read 11: Analyzing Texts and 60: Textual Analyses. When you read the samples, pay attention to how authors embed intertextual citations into the body of their essays according to MLA standards. You will be expected to do the same.

Purdue OWL: Read Active & Passive Voice. No matter what kind of writing you do, try to minimize the use of the passive voice, which, as the reading suggests, can lead to awkward, flat and/or uninteresting prose. This is not to say that the passive voice should be avoided altogether—used in the proper manner and in moderation, it can spruce up prose.

Purdue OWL: Read MLA Formatting & Style Guide, In-Text Citations: The Basics and Formatting Quotations.

Read Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Wikipedia: Read Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Yellow Wallpaper. NOTE: Wikis of this nature should be used only to provide context and background information. They should not be cited as secondary sources in formal writing. Wikipedia is an online hypertextual encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The methodology behind this encyclopdia is ideal; rather than an entry being written by one or two authors, entries are written (and updated) by a collective group of authors from multiple perspectives and disciplines. Be aware that many Wikipedia authors are not professional scholars or experts in the field, object, person, story, etc. on which they are writing, and every now and then hackers and trolls like to vandalize entries with incorrect information. For the most part, however, Wikipedia is a reliable and useful resource. To read more on this issue, see Criticism of Wikipedia.

Read these short essays on "The Yellow Wallpaper" for background, context, and insights into Gilman's story.

Essay #3
LITERARY ANALYSIS

Here is your assignment for the literary analysis: Based on your reading of chapters 11 and 60 in NFG, write a 3-4 page essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper" in which you argumentatively defend ONE of the following three thesis statements with AT LEAST FIVE pieces of textual support. Avoid paraphrasing. All textual support should take the form of word-for-word citations, and the thesis statement you choose should be woven into your introduction exactly as it appears below. Citations must be woven into the body of your text according to MLA style. Inclusion of parenthetically noted page numbers for each citation is mandatory.

Thesis #1: "The Yellow Wallpaper" uses descriptive imagery to chart the progression of Jane's madness.

Thesis #2: Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" in the form of a diary kept by an allegedly hysterical woman who uses the diary as a means of escape.

Thesis #3: The end of "The Yellow Wallpaper" suggests that freedom can only be obtained through insanity.

FINAL NOTE: You are neither encouraged nor required to include secondary sources in your literary analysis. I am interested in how you alone interpret Gilman's story, a primary source, by way of the story's details and formal elements.

Assignments

Discussion: ln the discussion forum, post three 100-150 word responses, one for each of the above thesis statements. In your responses, elaborate on how you would develop the thesis statements into essays, citing specific details from Gilman's story. As always, you are encouraged to respond to one another's postings. At the very least, read your peers' postings and get a sense of your their ideas, which may help you develop your own ideas. DUE DATE & TIME: Friday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m.

Literary Analysis Outline: Complete this Literary Analysis Outline and submit via Pilot. DUE DATE & TIME: Friday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m.

Literary Analysis: Submit via Pilot. DUE DATE & TIME: Friday, Mar. 10, 9 a.m.