Project: World Literature Website
As Chimamanda Adichie pointed out, many of us have only a single story of life in other
countries, and because of this we have difficulty relating to and connecting to people
from other cultures. If we have a single story of a nation as poor, then we are less inclined
to believe its people can have power to change the world.
The art, music, and literature from these countries is a powerful force in overcoming this
barrier. By making the works of these authors and artists more accessible, the literature of
the developing world, and authors who were born in the developing world, is becoming
increasingly available to us.
Your job is to use the power of the Internet to tell the story of a “world” author, or “nonwestern” writer. After doing research on the author of your choice, the website should
have three main pages:
General Guidelines:
 Use proper APA Citations! There should be a list of references on the bottom of
each page, identifying where your information came from. Every quote in your
essay should have proper in-text citation. Until these things are on your website,
we will not accept it. Without a reference page and in-text citations, your
grade is a zero!
 Do not put any identifying features on your website--stick to first names, or
initials.
Main Page: Author Biography
Note: Do not copy a biography from the Internet. Do not “rearrange” the words of a
biography on the Internet to make it seem like your own. Plagiarism is serious, and
when you do it online you can get into a lot of trouble.
On the homepage include a brief biography in your own words about the author. This
can include a picture of the author and a one paragraph description answering the
following questions:
 Where is he/she from? Birthdate? Death date (if he or she is dead)?
 What type of stories does he/she write?
 What is one defining event, personal or historical, that shaped his or her write?
 What is special or unique about this person’s writing or life?
Page Two: Analysis
This page should basically be an analytical essay about a poem or story you found and
read from this author. It should examine a particular work of literature to show what kind
of story that work shows, and how this writing defines a nation, defies a stereotype, or
tells a unique story about a people or place. Analyze the themes of the work, and literary
elements such as mood, conflict, narrative mode, symbolism, etc. You can follow this
outline:
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Introduction: Start with a hook. Thesis should identify a particular theme in the
work of literature, and state how that theme is developed through the use of
different literary elements.
Body Paragraph One: Identify another element, such as conflict or symbolism,
and state how it supports the theme. Use a specific quote from the work. Explain
that quote, in depth, connecting it to bigger ideas and showing your ability to
think in a complex, creative manner.
Body Paragraph Two: Identify another element. Do the same thing you did in
Body Paragraph One, using a different quote or different specific examples from
the text.
Conclusion: Summary statement and clincher.
Page Thee: Annotated Links
Find at least five different sites about the author (including the ones you used to find his
or her biographical information). Under each link, write 2-3 sentences explaining the
resource, and what a visitor to that page would find there.
An “A” Website demonstrates all of the following exceptionally well. A “B” Website is
significantly lacking in one to two areas. A “C” Website is significantly lacking in three
to four of the following areas. A “D” Website is lacking in five or more of the following
areas. An “F” website shows little development, thoughtfulness, or effort. “+” or “-”
grades will be added or subtracted if work lies on the boundaries of success.
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Website design, function, creativity, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail.
Website is easy to navigate.
Excellent grammar and syntax, with no errors interfering with comprehension.
Varied, well written, complex sentences.
Good research.
Deep, elaborate, thoughtful interpretation of citations.
Organized, according to guidelines mentioned.
Perfectly followed all directions given.
List of Authors
(If there are other authors you know of and would like to write about, please let us know
before continuing).
Prose:
Author’s
Name
Country of
Origin
Suggested Poem(s) or story(ies)
Ishmael Beah
Sierra Leone
Excerpts from novel A Long Way Gone
Chinua
Achebe
Nigeria
Excerpts from novel Things Fall Apart. Short stories
“Civil Peace,” “Dead Man’s Path”.
Gabriel Garcia Colombia
Marquez
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” excerpts
from novels A Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the
Time of Cholera, or others.
Mo Yan
China
“Bull”
Edwidge
Danticat
Haiti
Excerpts from Krik? Krak!, Breath, Eyes, Memory
Salman
Rushdie
India
“The Shelter of the World,” excerpts from novels.
Marjane
Sartrapi
Iran
Excerpts from Persepolis
Nawal El
Saadawi
Egypt
“The Death of his Excellency, the Ex-Minister” and
other stories
Suad Amiry
Palestinian
Territories
Excerpts from Sharon and my My Mother-in-Law
J.M. Coetzee
South Africa
Excerpts from Disgrace
Ayi Kwei
Arma
Ghana
Excerpts from Two Thousand Seasons, The Healers
Poetry
Author’s
Name
Country of
Origin
Suggested Poem(s) or story(ies)
Pablo Neruda
Chile
“A Song of Despair,” “Ode to Broken Things,” “Ode to
an Onion,” assorted poetry.
Léopold Sédar
Senghor
Senegal
“Aux Tirailleurs sénégalais morts pour la France” (To
the Senegalese sharpshooters who died in France),
“Night in Sine,” “Black Woman” (Femme Noire)
Octavio Paz
Mexico
“Proem,” “As One Listens to the Rain,” assorted
poetry.
Frankétienne
Haiti
“Dialect of Hurricanes” (Dialecte des cyclones)
Aimé Césaire
Martinique
“At the Locks of the Void”