March 2, 2009 Listing

Stories are universal, but they also serve a puprpose for specific audiences.

Steinbeck

If you have been keeping up with your blogging, this should only take you a few minutes to compile. If you've fallen behind, this assignment is a chance for you to catch up.

Generally, you should include all your entries, if only to demonstrate that you blogged each time I asked you to. But some people blog more than they strictly have to, so I don't formally require everyone to include every blog entry they wrote. (You might, for instance, post an agenda item before the due date, but then post a longer, more thoughtful entry after the class discussion. I'd rather you put the more thoughtful essay in your portfolio.)

Finish

Propose something thought-provoking and fun.

1. Topic (a question about the literary work, not the real world)
2. Thesis statement (answer the question, with a precise but non-obvious opinion; offer a blueprint for the paper -- "[Claim], because A, B, and C.")
3. Quotations supporting your thesis
4. Quotations supporting alternate or opposing arguments
5. Preliminary conclusion
6. MLA-style Works Cited list (demonstrating your knowledge of the correct format)
7. Format the presubmission as an MLA-style paper (title block, pagination, etc.)