Classic English Literature

<< Choose one of the topics below >>

Write an essay in which you compare the use of setting in any two stories assigned in Module 1. You might compare the re-creation of two similar settings, such as landscapes far from home, foreign cities, or stifling suburbs; or you might contrast the treatment of different kinds of settings. Be sure to consider not only the authors’ descriptive techniques but also the way the authors use setting to shape plot, point of view, and character.
Write an essay comparing the way any two of the stories assigned from Module 1 handle the traditional elements of plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion. Consider especially how plot elements contribute to the overall artistic effect.
Write an essay that explores the central conflict in any one of the stories in Module 1. What is the nature of the conflict? When, where, and how does it develop or become more complicated as the story unfolds? How is it resolved at the end of the story? Why and how is that resolution satisfying?

ESSAY #1
For this assignment, you will write a comparative essay (of 900-1200 words) on short fiction you read in this course.
• This paper is worth 25% of your overall course grade.
• You are asked to submit two documents:
1. The Smarthinking feedback (which contains your first draft)
2. Your final draft
• Read the important information below regarding the assignment. I encourage you to print these guidelines, read them thoroughly, and keep them for your reference as you are writing your paper.
Essay Structure and Content
Your paper should be well organized and well developed, which means your ideas should be clearly presented and sufficiently supported. Essay structure is key. Refer to Chapter 31.1.5 for a mini-lesson on proper essay structure:
• Your essay should have a central point—or thesis statement—that is expressed in the introductory (first) paragraph (preferably at or near the end of it).
o NOTE: The thesis statement is the most important sentence in your essay. It is the foundation upon which the rest of the essay is built. If your thesis statement is weak, the entire essay will suffer.
• The body paragraphs, comprising the bulk of your paper, are where you support your thesis:
o Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence (at or near the beginning of the paragraph) expressing the main idea of that paragraph.
o Each topic sentence should directly support your thesis.
o Use the body paragraphs to provide specific details (such as character analyses, examples, illustrations, and so on) to provide evidence for your point(s).
• Conclude your essay with a paragraph in which you offer final thoughts; do not introduce new details in your closing paragraph.
• Be on-topic! You are given a choice of three prompts; read and consider each one carefully. Once you have made your selection, make sure your essay responds to the prompt fully. (Essays that are off-topic will not receive credit.)
• Read Chapter 31, Section 31.2.1 for information on writing a comparative essay.
• Essay length should be 500-800 words.
Language
• Your writing should be college-level.
• Your tone should be academic, not conversational (avoid use of first-person and second-person pronouns)
• It should be free of errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and word choice.
• The occasional error—one or two—is understandable.
• Any more than two errors will be considered flagrant disregard of the use of Standard English and will result in a deduction of points from your score.
• Your writing should be in the third person.
• When writing about literature, use the present tense. (eg, Lola runs away from home—not ran away.)
Formatting
As you know, following MLA guidelines is essential.
• Refer to Chapters 30-35 in your textbook. Chapter 35, specifically, contains a sample literary analysis essay.
o NOTE: You are not required to include secondary sources (scholarly criticism, historical information, etc), but if you do, your sources must documented appropriately.
• Follow MLA guidelines for incorporating quotations from prose (fiction or nonfiction) into your paper. (See Chapter 34, Section 34.1.1 and 34.1.12 for instructions and examples.)
• You may also compare your finished paper with the sample MLA papers found here:
o http://guides.skylinecollege.edu/ld.php?content_id=25062151
o http://guides.skylinecollege.edu/ld.php?content_id=44584132
o https://style.mla.org/sample-papers/
Some Common Errors: Beware!
Here are a few of the most common student errors. I will deduct points for the following:
• excessive plot summary (your paper should be analysis)
• formatting titles incorrectly
• misspelling words, including proper nouns
• improper capitalization
• using unacceptable secondary sources, such as Schmoops, BookRags, Wikipedia, SparkNotes, popular magazines, newspapers
• improper use of quotations, such as dropped-in quotes (lines from the text that stand alone as sentences in your essay)
• ending a paragraph with a quotation (remember: the sentences following the quotation should always explain its significance)
• excessive use of quotations: More than three quotations per paragraph is considered excessive. (Your paper should be just that—yours. The essay should be your ideas written in your own words. Incorporate quotations from the poetry—and any secondary sources, if you use them—when necessary to support your points.)
• improper formatting of in-text citations
• improper use/placement of parentheses, quotation marks, periods
• general formatting errors (involving font, line spacing, header, indentation)
• improper formatting of Works Cited page
• language errors (fragments, run-ons, comma-splices, verb problems)
Rubric
• A detailed scoring rubric is available for your review by clicking the dropbox for Essay 1.
• The rubric is divided into several categories (including a category for your use of Smarthinking feedback).
• Make sure you review the rubric so that you can see how your paper will be evaluated.

<< Instructions >>

Fully address the prompt within 900 – 1200 words.
Essays must have the proper structure. This includes an introduction paragraph, a minimum of three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. The first page of the essay must include the page number, heading and a title in MLA format. The introduction must begin with a hook/attention grabber, proceed with general background information on the topic, and the ONE SENTENCE thesis is the LAST sentence in the introduction.
Use your own ideas and quotations from the literature to support your thesis. When using quotations, remember to introduce the quote with a signal phrase and follow each quote with an interpretation in your words (review the quote sandwich). Do not use any secondary sources. Your textbook is the only approved source.
Use MLA parenthetical citations immediately following each quotation and/or paraphrase. Please consult Chapter 34 in the textbook.

Essay topic #3 : Write an essay that explores the central conflict in any one of the stories in Module 1. What is the nature of the conflict? When, where, and how does it develop or become more complicated as the story unfolds? How is it resolved at the end of the story? Why and how is that resolution satisfying?

Link to the story the essay will be on:

Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin

https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/2B-HUM/Readings/Baldwin-Sonnys-Blues.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LxN4TS-ehQ

ANSWER

Conflict in Sonny’s Blues

Conflict plays a central thematic role in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. The protagonist, the narrator, describes the rough life of growing up in Harlem. He describes how the system is rigged against the teenage black man as they notice this once they become teenagers and finish school. The harsh conditions and struggles in Harlem that the narrator and his younger brother Sonny bring out two different characters in them. For the narrator, he chose to dwell in school and find a better life out of Harlem as he believed the opportunities could only be seized if one gained the ‘white man’s education’ the story turns out differently for Sonny’ who the narrator later learns he chooses a poor lifestyle and gets himself arrested. The nature of the conflict between the two brothers is centered on the separate paths that they both chose. This gives a clear indication that the two have nothing in common. The lack of a common goal, with Sonny’s being carefree and unfocused, constantly angers the narrator and intensifies the conflict between them. Therefore, this essay will analyze the conflict between the narrator and Sonny and look into the situations that created the conflict and how the conflict was ultimately resolved.

The conflict develops when the story first unfolds with the narrator reading from the newspaper that his brother has been arrested for heroin possession while heading to school, a lifestyle choice that the narrator and Sonny constantly argued about in the past. As he teaches his algebra class, he remembers his brother as a young boy and wonders how the future of the students he teaches might turn out following his brother’s situation. After class, he bumps into Sonny’s friend and tries to ask about his brother’s whereabouts. The exchange between them illustrates the difference and gap between the two brothers, showing how the narrator knows little about his brother. In their exchange, the narrator exhibits mixed feelings towards Sonny’s friend. He hates him for his poor choice of life and, at the same time, pities him for getting hooked on heroin addiction (Seljehaug 15). But through their conversation, the narrator learns about his brother’s hardship and how it is bound to continue once he is released. This hardship is illustrated by the narrator’s remark asking why Sonny wants to die as the friend replies, “don’t nobody want to die ever’. The interaction between these two introduces a hint of an ongoing conflict between the narrator and his brother- “He came by the house from time to time, but we fought almost every time we met” (36). The fact that he knows little about his brother’s engagement and has to seek information from his friend shows the difference between the two brothers. The friend is even surprised by how little the narrator knows little about his brother. These patterns of events show how the conflict between them began.

The conflict between the two brothers becomes complicated when the narrator decides to write to Sonny following the death of his daughter. In an extended flashback, the narrator remembers how his brother and he had the same spirited level of competitiveness. After returning from the army following the death of their mother, the narrator suggests that Sonny come live with them and go back to school. Sonny is reluctant as he wants to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz player that the narrator quickly dismisses- “ …I hear you, but you never hear anything I Say” (34). Life while living with Sonny is not smooth for either Sonny himself or the narrator’s family. They live through the horrendous music practicing of Sonny. Sonny gets in trouble while at school after he decides to skip school and hides the truancy letters from the narrators. They get into a big fight after being considered a burden to the narrator’s family. He decides to join the navy, and for nearly two years, there are no communications between them, leading to the narrator thinking that Sonny is dead. After returning from the navy and meeting in New York, they have another big fight concerning Sonny’s lifestyle that cements their complicated relationship with Sonny, saying that the narrator is dead to him.

The conflict between the narrator and Sonny is resolved when the story is brought back to the immediate setting. After the release of Sonny, he lives with the narrator for a few weeks. Sonny invites his brother to come to watch him play one evening at a local jazz bar. The narrator sees another version of his brother that he had not seen before. Sonny is the center of attention as they walk in, and everyone knows and respects him (Max 10). As Sonny and his band get on stage and start playing, the narrator notices that Sonny struggles to play but continues with utmost confidence. As he plays the music, he watches all his brother’s constant back and forth struggles to pour out through his instrument. With every struggling vocal comes its share of past struggles, but satisfying to the audience. Watching his brother play and the fact that he accepted the invitation is a sort of truce between the brothers, therefore helping in building back their relationship.

The solution of the conflict between the two is satisfying in two ways. First, Sonny is finally able to express himself and unleash all the anger and disappointment he felt over the years by performing the music he loved. Secondly, the narrator gets to understand Sonny on a more profound and personal level. As he watches him play and the kind of respect his brother gets from the audience, he sees a man in charge of his destiny, free from the shackles of Harlem.

Conclusion

The conflict between the narrator and Sonny is fundamentally embodied around their difference in personalities. As the narrator lives a life of caution and purpose, Sonny prefers to live a free lifestyle and play jazz. As seen in the essay, their relationship from childhood has been conflicted and becomes conflicted when Sonny lives with the narrator’s family, but things do not go as they both thought they would. Luckily, in a matter that seems cemented on their maturity, the narrator decides to venture into the world of his brother and understand it. Seeing how he is praised in this ‘world,’ he gets a deeper understanding of his brother and ultimately bonds well. This brings an end to their conflicting personalities that almost tore them apart from their brotherly relationship.

Work Cited

Baldwin, James. Sonny’s blues. Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2009.

Bakke, Max. Brotherly Love: A Discussion of Fraternal Bonds in James Baldwin’s Short Fiction. Southern Connecticut State University, 2018.

Johansson, Marie Seljehaug. An Investigation of Empathy in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”. MS thesis. UiT Norges arktiske universitet, 2019.