A Comparative Study of The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby

Guidelines:
1. Choice of Topic:
• Focus solely on one of the topics provided.
2. Resources:
• You can access all literary and other relevant texts.
• Ensure any outside sources are credible. Be cautious with internet sources; their reliability is as good as the author behind them.
3. Length and Format:
• Your essay should be between 1500 - 2000 words, excluding quotations and references.
• Adhere to APA conventions throughout your essay.
4. Content:
• Discuss not only the texts but also the contexts in which they were written.
• Mention other relevant books, whether read by you or your classmates, that relate to the topic.
• Utilize the writing tips provided on Canvas.
5. Rubric:
• Argumentation (70%): Ensure your content relates to the question and the literary texts. Properly introduce and integrate quotations and titles (APA). Support your points with relevant quotations. Place the works accurately in their historical context and describe them in terms of the prevalent genres of their period. Make original arguments and connections between American (literary) history, cultural contexts, and the literary works being analyzed.
• Organization and Writing (30%): Your essay should be of CI level proficiency. Ensure a clear introduction, thesis, and well-structured body paragraphs. Use transitions for clarity and maintain correct word choice.
6. General Writing Tips:
• Introduction: Justify your choice of the two books by linking them to the essay topic.
• Thesis Writing: Ensure your thesis is concrete, direct, and relevant to the prompt. Limit your thesis to points that are fully discussed and illustrated.
• Body Paragraphs: Begin with well-chosen topic sentences that refer back to the thesis.
• Making Claims: Double-check historical facts, ensure claims are supported by scenes and quotations from the book, and comment extensively on longer quotes.
• Other Tips: Use the present tense for literary characters. Underline or italicize novel titles. Place quotation marks around titles of essays and poems.
7. Aspects to Highlight for Better Scoring:
• Originality of the argument.
• Content relevance to the question and literary texts.
• Connections between American (literary) history, cultural contexts, and the analyzed literary works.
• Support from the text, such as paraphrasing and naming events in the plot.
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Final Note: Aim for originality in your content, structure, and wording. Consider the narrative technique, unexpected contrasts, nuanced wording, and insights into the novel's art for a more original approach.
The TEXAS-structure is really important.
So:
1) Introduction that ends with thesis statement
2) Body paragraphs that begin with a clear topic sentence. The topic sentence refers to elements of the thesis statement.
3) The conclusion starts with a thesis restatement
If possible and appropriate make mention of one of these books which also apply to this topic:
Unit 3 (From Romanticism to Realism)
A choice of:
Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening
Langhorne Clemens, Samuel (a.k.a. Mark Twain). Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Howells, William Dean. The Rise of Silas Lapham
Unit 4 (The Roaring Twenties and Modernism)
A choice of:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises
Cather, Willa. My Àntonia
Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury
Unit 5 (Hope and Disillusionment between the Wars)
A choice of:
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath
McCullers, Carson. The Member of the Wedding and The Ballad of the Sad Café
Wright, Richard. Native Son
Larsen, Nella. Passing and Quicksand
Unit 6 (Post-War Discontent and the Beat Generation)
A choice of:
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar
Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Unit 7 (Postmodernism and Diversity)
A choice of:
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple
Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club
Alexie, Sherman. Reservation Blues or (recommended) Tommy Orange. There, There.
Castillo, Ana. So Far from God
For clarity, please make sure the outline is the following (could be less or more body paragraphs)
Introduction
Ends with thesis with elements A, B, C, D.
Body paragraph 1: Topic sentence with element A + argumentation (TEXAS structure)
Body paragraph 2: Topic sentence with element B + argumentation (TEXAS structure)
Body paragraph 3: Topic sentence with element C + argumentation (TEXAS structure)
Body paragraph 4: Topic sentence with element D + argumentation (TEXAS structure)
Restatement of the thesis with element A,B,C,D
Conclusion
Don't forget the quotations from the 2 books and possibly external sources or mentioning from books from the reading list.