Essay on "Literary Analysis on Cultural Contexts"

Quoted Instructions for "Literary Analysis on Cultural Contexts" Assignment:

Essay Two: Literary Analysis on Cultural Contexts with Annotated Bibliography (25%)

Purpose: You will examine the connections between a literary work*****s cultural setting and the work itself. You could analyze a character*****s social class, cultural, or racial background, and specific events that occurred at the time when the story, poem, or play was written. In literature, a character is limited or inspired to act by his or her race, class, gender, social movement, or a particular event (like war). By exploring the cultural context of a literary work, you enhance your own understanding of the literature as well as the social environment of the time. You will also use reliable library resources, including the TCC library databases, for your research and will provide an annotated bibliography on these sources. READ PAGES 65-71 IN OUR TEXTBOOK: *****Writing About a Work*****s Cultural Context.***** Above all, this essay is a literary analysis, not just a historical research paper.

I. Annotated Bibliography requirements:

a. Minimum four sources*****preferably peer-reviewed sources, including TCC literary databases. One source should be your textbook!

b. These sources should be the same that you use in your Essay, including your textbook citation.

c. Each source will include a brief summary and your evaluation no longer than one paragraph.

d. THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY SHOULD BE INCLUDED ADDITION TO YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE! (SUGGESTION: WHEN YOU DEVELOP YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE, COPY IT AND INCLUDE THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AS YOUR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT).

II. Literary Essay on Cultural Contexts requirements:

1. Choose a literary work or works in our textbook and examine the connections between the work*****s cultural setting and the work itself, by considering how particular situations and events influence characters***** actions.

2. To begin your research, you will need to focus on reliable historical documentation and other primary sources, as well as literary critical interpretations of the work*****s cultural period.

3. Begin your essay with an overview of the literary work*****s background.

4. Explicate the work (close analysis of the text) by exploring specific parallels between the historical setting and the characters/ plot/themes.

5. Include character, plot, themes, language, and any other relevant literary elements in your essay. For example, you might focus on one particular character by examining how that character is shaped by events or conventions of a particular cultural time: Why was native American Thomas-Builds-a-Fire ostracized by his peers because of his storytelling? How were the mother and daughter, Emily, in *****I Stand Here Ironing***** affected by the Great Depression?

6. Your essay should include a minimum of 1,000 words, a minimum of four sources (one is your textbook), and correct MLA documentation including in-text citations and a Works Cited page.

7. Go to your textbook. Pg. 61, for a good student model of this type of essay.

III. Good Prompts for Writing about a Work*****s Cultural Context:

1. Is a particular figure or event an important influence on the work?

2. Is a cultural movement an important influence on the work?

3. Can you summarize and explain the relevant cultural background?

4. Can you clearly explain the relationship between the cultural background and the literary work?

5. Can you use examples and quotations from the literary work to illustrate specific parallels between the literary work and its cultural context?

IV. Suggested Outline of Essay:

1. Para One: Introduction of the literary work and your thesis statement

2. Para Two: Overview of the work*****s background and brief plot summary (might take two separate paragraphs)

3. Para Three, Four and Five: Explication of the work by finding parallels between the historical setting and the work*****analyze closely the characters, plot, themes, symbols, language, and/or points of view of the work

4. Final Para: Conclusion

*****Everyday Use***** and African American family life, art, and community in the South.

a. Explore the burgeoning black power movement in the 1960s.

b. Analyze Dee in the context of her views of family heritage.

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