Choice Reading Essay

“Imagine a dinner party. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are 
engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is 
about…You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in 
your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against 
you…The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress.” 
—Kenneth Burke 
 
For our first big paper, you will be writing a 2-3.5 page long literary essay in the spirit of
Kenneth Burke on your choice reading book. This essay should do the following:
● Have a central topic/argument that it is built around
● Approach that topic in an organized way. This way could be a five-paragraph essay; it
could be organized some other way.
● Reference what you’ve learned from the book, using at least three direct quotes
● Explain each point in a thoughtful and thorough way
● Express new ideas that you add to the “conversation”
● Have a way to “make me care” in the introduction and give me a sense for why it matters
by the end
● Be polished writing, done in the right tone, and formatted in 12pt. Times New Roman,
double-spaced

Some potential topics are:

● What can we learn from the character/s, the story, and/or the book as a whole?
● How did reading this book change the way you think?
● Is there a potential allegory in the book? If so what is it?
● Are there interesting symbols that warrant unpacking?
● Do you see any connections between the book and the world of 2018/your world?
● Is there any really interesting subtext?

This essay will be worth 100 points. The rough draft will be due Monday, Oct. 14. The final
draft will be due Wednesday, Oct. 23..