Patterson - Engl 2111  

Eng 2111 Paper Assignment 1

Write a well-developed, grammatically sound paper between 800 and 1,100 words in length on one of the topics below.  The paper should be double-spaced, with 12 point font and one inch margins. Turn in a printed copy of your final draft when class begins February 23 . Paper must also be submitted to www.turnitin.com by the start of class on the same date. Papers will not be graded unless/until they are submitted to this site. (Course # and password will be provided in class, and new users may create free accounts at the same website.)

Remember that you must use source material to backup your claims, including adequate parenthetical citations and a works cited page for your sources. (Information on MLA citation mechanics is found in Harbrace handbook and online at this online handout on citing NetLibrary e-books and GALILEO . A visual example of MLA layout for headers, running heads, works cited pages, etc. is available in this online example.)

You should have a minimum of two external/secondary sources, and any electronic sources must come from GALILEO or be individually approved by the instructor. You will use adequate literary terminology to discuss your points and judiciously employ paraphrases and quotations from the works about which you write, using adequate citation for such. After all direct quotes of poems and plays (Bhagavad Gita, Lysistrata, etc), put the line number(s) citing the quote at the end of the sentence in parenthesis. If your quote is more than one line of a poem or a play, use a  forward slash to separate each line. After all quotes from prose works, use the page number(s) in parenthesis at the end of the line containing the quote, and after all poetry quotes, cite the line numbers parenthetically. Information on the mechanics of citation and general tips are linked here to a handout on writing about literature.

Remember to use terms from your "Literary Terms" online handout throughout your paper as well. Likewise, recall the information in the handout on literary analysis linked to the online syllabus.

If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions, immediately contact me or go to the Tutorial Center, located in the Central Campus Library, where tutors can help with your paper if you feel you need additional assistance. Their hours are Mondays through Thursdays from 9am-2pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-7pm, and Fridays by appointment. Their number is 706-295-6371. In addition, the GHC librarians can provide help with research. And, as always, I am available by email, phone, after class or by appointment.

Topic Choices:

1)     Compare and contrast the characters of Utnapishtim and Noah. Do not simply make a list of similarities and differences, but speculate on what they mean and why they may be there, going beyond surface characteristics and reaching towards issues such as their interactions with gods/God, the outcomes/implications of their actions, their status as "superior" humans to their respective cultures, etc.

2)     Discuss the literary treatment of the female characters in Gilgamesh, The Odyssey or Oedipus and what these treatments could say about the societies which produced this literature.

3)     Compare and contrast the characters of Gilgamesh and Odysseus. Elements to consider might include, but are not limited to, the following: the motivations of the characters, the interactions of these men with other characters in their stories, the interactions of these men with the gods, their developments as epic heroes, the cultures which produced their stories, etc.

4)   Compare and contrast the roles and traits of God/the gods and the divine entity/entities relationships with humans between Genesis and either Gilgamesh or The Odyssey.