ENC 1102 - OVERVIEW OF MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
Dr. Blanchard – Spring Semester, 2014
Please Note: The proposed due dates for the major assignments described below are noted in the
"Proposed Agenda." This overview is meant to provide you with a general description of the
major assignments of the term. Specific guidelines will be provided to each assignment as the
due date for the assignment approaches. This overview is not meant to take the place of the
specific guidelines.
Critical Essay #1
An essay of 500 - 800 words on one of the following short stories from our anthology: Eudora Welty's
"Why I Live at the Post Office" (659), Toni Cade Bambara's "Gorilla, My Love" (132), James Joyce's
"Araby" (153) or Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" (32). Each of these stories is narrated by a first
person narrator whose perception of the events he or she relates may or may not be reliable. You
will select one of these stories for the subject of your essay. Your thesis should concern the
"character" of the person who narrates the story and, specifically, how his or her perceptions are
and/or are not reliable.
Critical Essay #2
An essay of 500 to 800 words on one of the following ten poems from our anthology: "From the Dark
Tower" (1018), "The Good Morrow" (745), "Soliloquy in a Spanish Cloister" (709), "Exchanging
Hats" (726), "The Leap" (814), "Spring and Fall" (842), "Gentle Communion" (973), "History" (922),
"Hanging Fire" (719), and "Heaven" (762). Each one of these poems describes a relationship or
relationships which involve(s) or involved love, yearning, or passion of some kind. In your essay,
you should explain how the poet uses language and imagery figuratively to describe this relationship
and relate this to the theme(s) of the poem.
Critical Essay #3
An essay of from 500 to 800 words on a subject relating to the play A Streetcar Named Desire by
Tennessee Williams. We will be discussing this play in class and you will be quizzed on it. You will
be provided a choice of three thesis statements relating to the protagonist and the antagonist of the
play: Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski respectively. You should select one of these thesis
statements as the thesis of your essay.
Formal In-Class Quizzes (5)
Scheduled quizzes will generally require 10 - 20 minutes to complete and will consist primarily of
short, relatively objective type questions (true and false, multiple choice, and matching). A few
quizzes, however, may include essay questions and require more time to complete.
Research Paper (with Supporting Bibliography)
From 1500 to 2000 words in length and appropriately supported according to MLA documentation
style guidelines, your research paper will focus on the work of one writer presented in our anthology.
You will be provided both a list of approved authors and specific guidelines to the research paper in
a timely manner. Your Works Consulted list should include a minimum of five secondary sources, at
least three of which must be print sources.
Optional Final Exam
The final exam will cover all work discussed in class during the semester. It will include some short
answer, objective type questions, but sixty percent will be devoted to in-class essays.