Collins—1
Prof. Robert Collins
ENGL 262G — The Art of Literature
Paper 3: Juxtaposition
Due:Friday, April 25
Papers will be due at the beginning of class in hard copy format.
Requirements:
- This essay should be at least 4 full pages long.
- It should be in proper MLA format, just like your last essay.
- You should use precisely two sources: A Streetcar Named Desireand one other text that we’ve read this semester.
- You should cite evidence for all of the claims that you make about either text.
- Careful proofreading is encouraged.
Assignment:
For this essay I’m asking you to juxtapose Streetcarwith another story we’ve read this semester (either Notes from Undergroundor a short story from the first unit).
To do this, you should begin thinking (not necessarily writing!) under the old terms “compare and contrast”: what similarities do you see in these texts? What differences?
However, your thinking should not stop there. If your essay is simply a list of similarities and differences your grade will suffer! No: you should then think about what those similarities and differences mean. You should tell me what kinds of interesting things happen when you think about Streetcaralong with whatever story you choose. And, once again, you should unify your analysis with a thesis statement.
Some concrete questions that can help your inquiry:
- How does the way we read text A change when we consider text B?
- Do the two texts share a theme? What is that theme?
- Do the texts have contradictory themes? What’s the source of this contradiction?
- How can we explain the similarities and differences of these texts? What causes them?
At the end of the day, you should be telling me something that is not explicitly stated in either text, but which you have inferred from things that are explicitly stated in the texts.