listed above
The works we have studied this term are Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre’s, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, and Thomas King’s The Back of the Turtle.
These three works in various ways develop shared themes, some of which are (1) the discovery of self; (2) the importance of ethical principles by which to live; (3) the nature of love; (4) the need for independence; (5) the oppression of women; (6) the dangers of inequality between masters and servants.
The list of themes is limited only by our imagination. If you have a theme in mind that you would like to write about but which is not included above, feel free to write about that theme and not any of the ones on the list above.
What I would like you to do in this exam is to CHOOSE ONE theme. Then …
a).Develop a THESIS with that theme in mind. It could be anything; it should be your own thesis.
Example. Though the “self” is an important thematic concern in Jane Eyre, The Yellow Wallpaper, and The Back of the Turtle, the obstacles that the “self” faces and overcomes in these three works become more dangerous and potentially destructive from mid- 19th century England to early 21st century North America.
b) Provide SUPPORT for that thesis in the body of your essay. You know that support comes from quotations that you cite from the 3 texts. After citing the quotations you provide a commentary or discussion in which you show the reader where the quotations validate your claims.
c) Spend equal time with the 3 works. Do not spend more time with one work and less time with the two others.
d). Conclusion. Summarize the major themes in your preceding argument.
Grading will be determined by the quality of your Argument. 1) How well you express yourself grammatically and syntactically; 2) how well you organize your ideas; and (3) the quality of the evidence you provide to support your thesis.
