English 111

This assignment asks you to complete a close reading of an excerpt from A Long Way Gone, and to connect your reading to a theme, issue or idea from the larger work. Begin by choosing a theme, etc. that interests you; consider, but don’t limit yourself to, the ones we’ve discussed in class. Your focus should be on the formal elements of the excerpt you’ve chosen—the language, structure, tone, symbolism and use of metaphor, among other details. But you should interpret these elements with the intention of making a claim about the larger work. One way to think of this assignment is as asking and answering a specific question about the memior using an excerpt from it as evidence on which the answer is based. The end of your essay should draw connections between the excerpt and the larger work, but the body of essay should focus specifically on the excerpt you’ve chosen.
You may approach this assignment in one of two ways:

1) Choose a theme, etc. that interests you. Then select a passage of no more than 250 words that expresses or dramatizes that theme and analyze it in the context of the work as a whole. The following questions can guide your analysis of the passage:
- What does it say? What do the words, phrases, sentences mean? What is its context in the larger work (i.e., where does it appear)?
- What does it do? How does it function in establishing character or tone, setting up action, invoking other works and events, evoking political or historical resonances, etc?
- How does it work at the level of language and form? Consider structure, word choice (diction) and order (syntax), imagery, symbolism, etc.
- How does your close look at this passage deepen your understanding of the work as a whole? How does it contribute to a reading of the larger work?

Please begin by typing out the passage you have chosen (single-spaced). Your paper should indicate what the passage does—how it operates with respect to imagery, plot, theme, characterization, literary conventions, etc.—and discuss how it works at the level of language. You should avoid seeking help from outside critical or analytical sources, and instead concentrate on the formal attributes of the passage itself and how they contribute to its meaning. Your paper should promote a clear thesis, exhibit good organization and feature solid development.

2) Choose a particular reoccurring word/image that expresses or dramatizes the theme you’ve chosen and trace its progression through the work. Please note: for this to work, your word should appear at least three times (If it’s a particular image, it should appear at least two times). As with the first option, you should interpret this word/image with the intention of making a claim about the larger work. Use the above questions as a guide.

Requirements
- Four full pages
- Typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font
- Standard margins
- Page numbers
- A title (a good one. Consult the ‘Making Good Titles’ handout from last semester).
- Spell-checked and proofed for errors

First Draft Due: Monday, March 16 by noon (by email) NOTE: send as a .doc file.

Revision Due: Friday, March 27 by noon (by email)