Purpose: To complete a substantive piece of critical written analysis around 1000 words in length, using global literature as the subject of inquiry. To develop logically coherent and convincing arguments through the interpretation of literature.

Skills/knowledge practiced: Mid-length essay writing; textual analysis; close reading; writing with citations; use of textual evidence; developing argument; analysis of narrative techniques; cultural critique.

Requirements: The essay must:

• Have a descriptive title that is not overly general or vague
• Be approximately 4 pages in length (about 1000 words) and typed
• Be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. font, using proper MLA citations :

(https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blackboard.learn.xythos.prod/584b12a1a0ed8/2169257?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27MLA%2520Citation%2520Template%2520and%2520Example%25281%2529.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20200217T012338Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIL7WQYDOOHAZJGWQ%2F20200217%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=a12f241313e4d2d67ed08c288b2bb0d23db09b3818e1ffee22438166eb220d7f)

• Have a straightforward and compelling thesis/proposition that is not a mere summary of the text
  • Note: Your thesis should make an argument that is specific to the text rather than an overly general response to the essay prompts below. The prompts are broad only to allow you to write on text of your choosing; your paper itself, however, must be uniquely and specifically framed in direct relation to the text. A good rule of thumb is if your thesis is making a claim that can stand on its own without the text, then you’re not being specific enough.
• Consistently use direct quotes from a single text as evidence to support an argument
• Be written in present tense
• Include a Works Cited page

Writing prompts: using ( Song For Night by Chris Abani)

1. Song for Night begins in realism and ends in either My Luck’s near-death hallucinations or else his mystical ascension into the afterlife, depending on how we interpret the novel’s ending. Why does Abani employ realism at all in a narrative so focused on unreliable memory, and what does it teach us about the brutality of war on one hand and its transformation into divine belief on the other?