Requirements:
Submissions that do not meet all of these requirements will be given a zero.

1. Write a polished, 4 page word processed draft; due Wednesday, February 5, 2003 (No late drafts!). Make 3 copies of this draft for your peer critique.
2. Revise according to a peer critiques (you may also seek suggestions from the Writing Center).
3. Submit 4 page final with drafts/peer critiques on Monday February 10, 2003.
No extensions. No late work will be accepted.

Approach:
1. Base your comparison on one idea.
(Don't try to do too much; rather, you should analyze fully the topic you do have).
2. Announce the thesis in your introduction, support the thesis in the body, and make sure you have a
conclusion. "This essay addresses the use of honor in both Blood Wedding and Chronicle of a Death Foretold."
3. Once you have narrowed your topic, you should then elaborate on your interpretation. (answer the question, "So what?" Why is this important in the study of different cultures?)
Assume that your reader knows the text intimately, especially the plot.  Jump into your analysis, in media res--in the middle of things.
4. Begin your paper by announcing your thesis.
5. Address the following compositional issues:

     Use active verbs (get rid of the "to be" verbs: is, are, was were, be being, etc.)
     Get rid of expletives (there are, there were, it is, it was, etc.)
     Use literary present tense ("Garcia Lorca both questions and affirms notions of tradition..")
     Use transitions between paragraphs to connect ideas
     Use author, page citations (see MLA below).
     Include a works cited
     Limit quotes to one or two a page and integrate them (introduce them and respond to them)
     Avoid first person
     Find a unique approach

6. Provide a meaningful title

Format of Work: Word process your work with a computer.
Double space all hard copies; Use 12 point font, Times New Roman; 1 inch margins all around
(no padding with wide margins)
Use the Modern Language Association Style to document outside sources, including web pages.
Include the following information (with a title page, stapled on back please):

          Your Name
          The Date
          Dr. Ramirez, California State University
          English Literature III
          Title of the Essay

It is essential that you make constant back-ups of your work. Misplacing or losing files can be frustrating and it does happen with frequency.  Moreover, computers freeze and power outages are not uncommon.
However file problems or any other kind of computer and printing problems will not excuse late work.
Print drafts as a safety measure and save a copy on a NEW disk.

Scholastic Responsibility:  You should document your texts with "author's last name  page" citations: (Garcia Marquez 185 ).  Be sure to properly quote and paraphrase, rather than plagiarize.  Use the Writer's Reference as a guide.  Plagiarizing (submitting work that is not your own or failing to document other people's analyses or using their words) or any other form of scholastic dishonesty (cheating) will result in an F in the assignment and possible failure of the course.  Plagiarism happens frequently when students are not prepared, when they are confused or rushed, or when they assume the professor will not know. But this is a poor assumption.
 

Sample Essay Format
Name, etc.

Introduction
State the thesis (one or two paragraphs)
This essay compares notions of honor in Blood Wedding and in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. I will use one scene from each text to support my argument that honor plays an important role within the individual (example 1) and the community (example 2).

Body
Two to three paragraphs on example 1
    Analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1,
analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1,
analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1, analysis of example 1.
Two to three paragraphs on example 2
    Analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2,
analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2,
analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2,
analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2, analysis of example 2.

Conclusion
One to two paragraphs: Wrap up your ideas and make sure you have related your thesis to the
themes of World Literature.
    Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up,
Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up,
Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up.
    Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up,
Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up,
Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up,
Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up, Wrap it up!