Choose a prompt and write an essay that utilizes your close reading skills to co
Choose a prompt and write an essay that utilizes your close reading skills to compare and/or contrast two of the texts we read over the course of the semester. This is an argumentative essay and will ultimately blend an analytic approach with a persuasive approach. Your argument should be specific, persuasive, and clearly based on the textual evidence that you present. Your essay must be written in grammatically correct English and must contain a clear thesis that outlines your central argument(s). Your thesis should make a claim(s) about the texts that you discuss and state the significance of that claim for the larger work.
Each body paragraph of your essay should be a close reading of textual evidence that is important to your overall argument(s). You have been practicing close reading throughout the semester and this essay will allow you to link related close readings in order to prove a larger point about the texts you discuss. Take care to frame your analysis with an introduction and a conclusion. You must make effective use of quoted or paraphrased material and therefore, should conform to the parenthetical guidelines of the MLA citation style.
You are permitted to use secondary sources, but you are encouraged to rely largely on your own interpretations of the texts. If you do use a secondary source, it must be one included in the official edition of the text that was assigned for the course (i.e. from the Introduction or Appendices).