Description
Readings: García Márquez, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” and Smith, “Not Waving but Drowning”
Carter, “The Werewolf”
Carter, “The Lady of the House of Love” Borges, “The South”
Your assignment is to write a 400-500 word Reading Analysis (see explanation below) in which you analyze compare/contrast TWO of the texts listed above (the first few texts of our semester). Identify an important theme that both texts seem to be discussing; compare/contrast the different approaches or conclusions the texts draw about this theme. Remember: be specific when you identify theme!
In your comparison of the two texts, try to use alternating arrangement, as we discussed in class. Lead with your ideas, and then use specific examples from the texts to support your analysis. Use the techniques of close reading we discussed in class. Remember, the “evidence” you need to support your interpretation is in the authors’ works, so you should be using quotes and explaining their significance. Use MLA citation style and include a Works Cited page.
Tips: Not sure where to start with themes? Here are some suggestions:
• Compare/contrast the significance of death or near-death experiences (a motif in these texts) as they
relate to possible themes in the texts. What does this device show us about communities or the relationships between people? Or about an individual’s desire to live, make choices, or overcome obstacles?
• Compare/contrast the significance of nature/the ocean (a motif in these texts) as they relate to possible themes in the texts. What might these authors be suggesting about a person or a community’s relationship to water, the ocean, or the environment?
• Compare/contrast the significance of imagination and what the authors might be saying about what this is, what its significance is to human society, etc.
Citation:
You are not required to refer to outside sources in this assignment. If you do use or consult outside sources, though, they MUST be cited. Always! For info about MLA citation, consult a) your Composition notes; b) the Purdue OWL website; c) our library’s MLA info website.
Potentially useful MLA citations:
Carter, Angela. “The Werewolf.” Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories, Henry Holt and Company, 1995, pp. 210-11.
García Márquez, Gabriel. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” University of Texas Dallas, www.utdallas.edu/~aargyros/hansomest.htm. Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.
Smith, Stevie. “Not Waving but Drowning.” Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, edited by Ramazani et al., 3rd ed, vol 1, Norton, 2003, p. 710.