The Revolution of Robots R.U.R.

Course Objectives Fulfilled by the Assignment:

1. Identify and apply literary terms, techniques, concepts, and aesthetic criteria to the evaluation of literary works.

2. Evaluate literary texts and genres within their historical, philosophical, or cultural contexts as part of the human experience.

3. Summarize, analyze, and synthesize diverse readings including multidisciplinary academic articles, essays, literary works, or other relevant genres.

5. Differentiate relevant evidence throughout all writing tasks, including written texts, visual images, electronic media, and such primary sources as observations, interviews, and surveys.

6. Use a variety of writing and revision strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading writing.

7. Determine logical arguments and stylistic approaches appropriate to form or genre of writing: transitional language, progressive development of ideas, etc.

Directions: For this second and final formal essay, you will write a 3-4 page literary analysis examining the ways in which one writer uses one or two literary devices to convey one particular theme in a literary work. In your essay, you will follow the MLA format and the structure of a literary analysis, including a thesis. Your introduction should reveal the title of the story that you will be analyzing while your thesis should answer the following questions:

What theme will you examine in your essay?
What literary device(s) does the writer use to express this theme?
For instance, if you decide to write about the theme of imagination and knowledge in The Mark on the Wall, you may write about Woolfs use of symbolism to express the idea that imagination is more important to a persons well-being than knowledge. If you decide to write about the relationship between the creator and creation in R.U.R., you may explore Capeks use of character and irony to convey the idea that creations tend to reject their creators. In other words, you will be analyzing the ways in which a writer uses one or two particular literary devices to shape and express a particular theme.

For your analysis, you may choose to write about one theme and story from the following list:

Karel Capeks R.U.R.

To choose a particular literary device, return to the list of literary devices posted in Reading Guides. Also, keep in mind that writers usually use plot, character, conflict, and symbolism to express a theme.

Important Dates

November 24: Post your feedback to the sample student essay in the wiki Practicing Feedback in the Week #14 folder.

December 1, December 2 or December 3: On these three days, there will be mandatory class visits to the Writing Center via Blackboard Collaborate from 1-2 p.m. But youll be required to attend only one of the sessions of your choice. Be sure to bring either an outline of your essay or a complete introduction. But if you can bring an introduction with one or two body paragraphs, then youll have a more productive session. Also, if you have one or two specific questions about the essay or areas that you would like to work on, this will be useful to you, since the visit is time constrained. Instructions and links will be provided before the class visits.

December 3: Post your rough draft anytime to the class wiki labeled “Literary Analysis #2” in the Week #15 folder in Assignments. Your rough draft may include a complete introduction or an introduction and one or two body paragraphs. Then, respond to two of your peers’ rough drafts on the class wiki. Remember, your constructive feedback will guide your peer during the writing process.

December 10: Submit your final draft anytime to the Turnitin link labeled Literary Analysis #2 in the Week #16 folder.

The Essays Format

Youll use the MLA (Modern Language Association) format for academic essays. Once again, MLA has several requirements:

A heading on the top left-hand side of the page. The heading should include your first and last name on the top line; the professors name on the second line; the course number on the third line; and the day, month, and year of the essays due date on the fourth line.
The title is centered but not in bold print or italics.
Double-spacing. This makes it easier for your reader to write comments or fix errors above the lines.
Each page is numbered on the top right-hand side and includes your last name.
One-inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right-hand sides of the paper. By doing this, youre inviting the reader to annotate.
Times New Roman 12 pt. font. An easy font to read that doesnt distract from the essays subject matter.
An eye-catching title. Connect your title to the main idea of your essay, while telling the reader which texts (and their authors) your essay will analyze.
In-text citations. In-text citations are necessary when you use outside sources. Be sure to give parenthetical information after the direct quotations; parenthetical information should include the authors last name and page number(s) that indicate where we can find the quotation in the primary source.
Works Cited page. In-text citations work hand-in-hand with the works cited page. The works cited page includes a list of sources that you quote directly, summarize and/or paraphrase in your essay. The list reveals detailed publication information about the sources.

Writing Tips

Review your journal entries and discussion board posts; youve probably already written about one or more of the themes listed above. You may use this writing as the springboard for your essay.
In addition, go to “Writing Guides” on the menu and review the videos on the structure of a literary analysis, the rhetorical devices, key ingredients of the introduction, and the MEAL body paragraph format. You may also review the videos on particular literary devices to aid you in your analysis.
Be sure to review the sample student essays for Literary Analysis #2 in Writing Guides. Reviewing a peers essay can give you a good idea of how to approach the assignment as well as how to revise your work based on the rubrics criteria.

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