Long Paper #1Making Connections (Option 1)

Rough Draft Due Final Draft Due Monday, October 17th Monday, November 7th

You must staple your marked Rough Draft to the Final Draft if you want me to grade it! 4 pages This paper must be at least 5 paragraphs. Each paragraph must have at the very least 5 sentences Double-spaced 12 point font For this assignment, you will be expected to discuss the connections between your life and one of the stories we have read so far this semester. Choose a story or a poem that you can relate to. Focus your discussion and analysis on a topic or theme from that story that parallels your own life: assimilation, mother-daughter conflict, mediocrity and desire. Your own life does not have to tell the exact same story as the work of literature. For instance, your own life experience may be about a negative father-daughter relationship. You can still draw a parallel between your experiences and Bukowskis poem about a conflicted father-son relationship. Acceptable Works Anything we have read so far this semester (including handouts) Your assignment will to be to make a connection between your own experiences and a work of literature. Your thesis must establish a clear connection (a clear similarity, possibly a difference). You will then use the body of the paper to draw parallels between your own life and the work of literature or film. Thesis Your thesis will make a strong parallel between your own experience and the work of literature you are interested in exploring. Your thesis will also point differences if you plan to discuss them in the body of the paper. Examples Theme: Father-Son Bond Charles Bukowski, in his poem My Old Man explores one type of father-son relationship, a relationship rife with conflict and anger; while, I have certainly had my fair share of disagreements with my own father, I also have memories of connection and bonding. Theme: Sibling Connection

In Sonnys Blues, James Baldwin depicts two brothers who learn the importance of unconditional love. This story resonates with my own experience with my sister. As we grew up and grew apart, we both realized that we had to accept each others differences if we were going to make our relationship work. Theme: Assimilation/Acclimation to a New Culture In The Unforgetting, the parents watch as their son assimilates to a new culture. This parallels my own life. My family and I moved to America when I was seven, and throughout the years, I acclimated to the culture more quickly than they did. Sometimes, I feel disconnected from my parents and uneasy when I look at the person I am becoming. Body Paragraphs You must have AT LEAST three body paragraphs. Each paragraph must be AT LEAST five sentences. In your body paragraphs, you will continue to make the connection between your own experiences and the work of literature or film you are analyzing. Here is the best way to organize your paragraphs. Introduction Introduce theme Thesis statement (states connection) Body Paragraph 1 Discuss one main idea from the work of literature How does it parallel with your own experience? Body Paragraph 2 Discuss another main idea from your work of literature How does it parallel with your own experience? Body Paragraph 3 Discuss another main idea from your work of literature How does it parallel with your own experience? Conclusion Summarize your analysis. Conclusion Your conclusion should sum up the main points of your analysis. What conclusions have you come to in your analysis of this emotion? Dont end your paper with the words I N CONCLUSION or IN SUMMARY. You do not need to alert the reader that you are coming to an end; the reader should be able to intuit this already. End your paper with an interesting story, a quote, a call to action, a challenge, a humorous anecdote; dont allow your paper to simply trickle off.