English 102: Writing About Literature
Prof. K. Delhagen
Essay Three
Instructions and Requirements
Writing Purpose: For this essay assignment, students will write a 4-6 page essay of
synthesizing two works of literature in two different genres to form an original argument related
to conformity and rebellion related to religious freedom.
Writing Process: Select one of two poems (“Latin Women Pray” or “On Being Brought from
Africa to America” to pair with Langston Hughes’ essay “Salvation.” Begin by re-reading the
works and asking yourself questions related to conformity, rebellion, and religious freedom.
Develop your own set of questions to respond to and use them to develop a provable thesis
statement related to themes of conformity and rebellion.
*Note: This is a complex issue requiring and complex questions. A strong, college-level thesis
will also be complex and may strive to answer several questions at once. A strong, college-level
essay also recognizes that there is not just one right and one wrong answer to a question. Writing
is a process of inquiry and exploration, and there are many possible perspectives that can come
from a question.
Remember that the majority of the essay should be your analysis (not summary) and that you
must use specific quoted examples from the literature to support your thesis. Consider the
literary elements of the texts (ie. theme, characterization, dialogue, setting, tone, dramatic irony,
description, etc.) and how the writer uses these elements to make a statement about conformity
and rebellion.
Writing Requirements: Students must use two primary sources and two secondary sources
found independently for this assignment.
Primary Source: “Salvation” by Langston
Additional Primary Sources (choose one): “Latin Women Pray” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
“On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley
Secondary Sources: Two scholarly and/or popular sources found by student
You have several options for your secondary sources:
 Literary criticism of selected works
 Scholarly articles from sociology databases
 Current popular sources (news, magazines, websites, blogs); please assess all popular
sources using the CRAAP test outlined on course website.
English 102: Writing About Literature
Prof. K. Delhagen
Direct quotations from your selected readings are required to support your thesis throughout
the essay. Remember you should not simply summarize the literature, but quote and explain
examples to help illustrate the point you are striving to make. Quotes from secondary sources
should be used to further your argument.
Formatting Requirements:
 Essays will be graded according to the Essay Grading Rubric on course website.
 All quotations must be properly cited using MLA parenthetical formatting and you must
include a works cited list at the end of your essay containing the play and the researched
sources you have found. See your copy of A Writer’s Reference for examples.
 Your essay must be typed and double spaced in 12pt font with 1” margins on all sides.
 A title is required - this should be YOUR title, not the title of the literature you are
analyzing or the title of the essay assignment. Be creative and choose something
appropriate to your argument. Center your title before the first line of the essay. Do not
skip extra lines before or after your title.
 Please include your last name and page number in the top header of each page, right
aligned.
 First page should include the following MLA standard heading, single spaced, left
aligned:
Your Name
Prof. Katherine Delhagen
English 102
Day Month Year
A sample of MLA first page formatting can be found at the Purdue OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
OWL > Research and Citation > MLA Style > MLA Formatting and Style Guide