Books for English 1C
Book One. Muscle by Samuel Wilson Fussell in a comparison essay with Gogol's "The Overcoat" and a YouTube audio version Part I and Part II.
Essay Options for Samuel Wilson Fussell’s Muscle and Gogol's "The Overcoat"
One. Develop a thesis that analyzes the manner in which Fussell’s memoir and Akaky from "The Overcoat" illustrate the Myth of Icarus.
Two. Develop a thesis that analyzes the manner in which Fussell’s memoir and Akaky from "The Overcoat" illustrate the fable from Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning “Death in Tehran”:
A rich and mighty Persian once walked in his garden with one of his servants. The servant cried that he had just encountered Death, who had threatened him. He begged his master to give him his fastest horse so that he could make haste and flee to Teheran, which he could reach that same evening. The master consented and the servant galloped off on the horse. On returning to his house the master himself met Death, and questioned him, “Why did you terrify and threaten my servant?” “I did not threaten him; I only showed surprise in still finding him here when I planned to meet him tonight in Teheran,” said Death.
Three. Develop a thesis that compares maladaptation in Fussell’s memoir and "The Overcoat."
Four. Research Erik Erikson’s notion of intimacy vs. isolation and develop a thesis that applies this conflict to Fussell’s memoir and "The Overcoat."
Five. Develop a cause and effect thesis that compares the causes of grotesque transformation in Fussell's memoir and "The Overcoat."
Six. A wise man once said, having a chimera will kill you, but not having a chimera will also kill you. Apply this saying to Samuel Wilson Fussell and Akaky from "The Overcoat." Both have a chimera, his obsession, the overcoat, which both transforms them for the better and for the worse. We all have our own personal chimera. Using both the memoir and the short story, write an extended definition of a chimera.
Book Two. Submission by Michel Houellebecq (tentative until I read the book)
New Yorker article on Houellebecq
Book Three. From Critical Thinking to Argument
Assignment That Compares David Brooks' "The Moral Bucket List" with Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams" or Sherwood Anderson's "The Other Woman."
If you don't teach the novel Submission, then add "Bartleby, the Scrivener" to story list for comparison with Brooks' essay.
Final Capstone Essay
First Option: Submission
Write a persuasive essay that addresses the contention that the novel Submission is a convincing condemnation of Western democracy's vacuous consumerism, entropy (moral decline), acedia (spiritual apathy as a result of lacking purpose and meaning), smug self-satisfaction, hedonism, and moral relativism that is ripe for the taking by a alternative entity that provides moral absolutism, strong family values, and a strong sense of belonging.
Suggested Structure
Paragraph One: Summarize novel.
Paragraph Two: Frame the debate of your argumentative thesis by asking the novel's major question about the clash of two very different societies. Answer your question with your thesis.
Paragraphs 4-7: Support your thesis' mapping components.
Paragraph 8: Write your counterargument and rebuttal.
Paragraph 9: Conclusion: Restate your thesis with emotion (pathos) and show its broader ramifications.
Second Option: "The Moral Bucket List"
To an audience of college students, write a persuasive essay that addresses the contention that "Winter Dreams" or "The Other Woman" or "Bartleby, the Scrivener" illustrates David Brooks' essay "The Moral Bucket List."
Suggested Structure
Paragraph One: Summarize Brooks' essay.
Paragraph Two: Summarize the story.
Paragraph Three. Frame the debate of your argumentative thesis by asking how and why the story addresses the major ideas in Brooks' essay. Then answer your question with a thesis.
Paragraphs 4-7: Supporting paragraphs: They support your thesis' mapping components.
Paragraph 8: Write your counterargument-rebuttal paragraph.
Paragraph 9: Conclusion: Restate your thesis with emotion (pathos) and show its broader ramifications.
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