module 10

fiction

 

Historical and Cultural Context as a Critical Approach

Module 10

Welcome to Module 10: Utilizing Feedback & Submit Essay 2 (Topic: Exploring Culture)

In this module, we are going to:

· Demonstrate an understanding of literature that addresses the exploration of culture 

· Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence

· Respond to literature with rational judgments supported by evidence

Your checklist for Module 10:

· Complete Module 10 Reading

· Read the Module 10 Notes – Scholarly Reading and Writing

· Review the Module 10 Reading Notes

· Submit Module 10 Discussion

· Submit Module 10 Assignment

Complete these readings from the textbook:  

· Literature

· A Wall of Fire Rising

· The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica

· Harlem by Langston Hughes

· A Pair of Tickets

· Suicide Note Janice Mirikitani (poem)

Remember that academic reading is a skill you develop over time.

Here is 

my best advice for scholarly reading

.

Module 10: Lesson and Notes

 

Historical and Cultural Context as a Critical Approach

 Why is the historical or cultural context important?

Knowing a story’s historical or cultural context can give insight and meaning to a text. We can learn things about different eras and different cultural beliefs based on the literature produced from those places, or even about those places. Literature helps to keep record of certain cultural traditions and customs that had only previously been passed down orally. 

A story can reveal important elements about a culture in two ways:

· It can reveal the society or culture of the author.

· Because an author is immersed within a specific cultural or historical context while they are writing, they intentionally, or unintentionally, embed elements and clues of that time and culture into their works. 

· It can be set in another time or culture different from the author’s own. 

· Author’s of historical fiction often do incredible amounts of research in order to adequately portray the culture and society of the people in the story. 

· Author’s of contemporary fiction that write about other cultures often consult individuals within that culture or society, also to adequately portray those individuals.  

Determining Historical and Cultural Context

· Look at the author’s biography:

· Where are they from?

· When were they living and where, or are they living still?

· Did they have a passionate political stance or did they activate for social issues?

· Look at the setting:

· What era is the story set in? Is it modern? Is it from the 18th century? Ancient?

· What is the geographical setting?:

· The mountains of Montana? The coast of Greece? Big city or small town? Jamaican fishing village?
All of these give clues to the over all purpose of the story.

· What is the time of day? Is it important culturally that things happen at certain times of day?

· Is it a time of war or peace?

· Look at the characters within the story:

· Are they from different places?

· How do they interact with each other? 

· Is there a “stranger” in a “strange land”? This is a useful took used by author’s to examine a culture through the eyes of someone outside of that culture.

· Look at the message of the text:

· Is it exposing some sort of social injustice?

· Is it spreading a political message?

· What is the text’s theme? It could be love, war, loss of innocence, the quest, etc.

The last few weeks you have learned different types of literary themes. This week, you are working on crafting your second essay.

 

· Read and review the Lesson notes below on “The Fiction Essay”

· Read and review the guide and resources included below

· Select a story (or stories) assigned for this class to write about

· Create an outline according to the essay assignment specifications

· Complete and submit a fiction analysis essay according to the assignment specifications 

Literary Analysis Essay Prompt

In a 1,000-1,250 (4-5 page) fiction response essay, respond to the following prompt. Your essay should be in MLA format, make use of support from the story or stories chosen (using quotation, summary and/or paraphrase) and should include citations in-text and on a Works Cited page.

Remember to avoid summarizing a story – instead, focus on answering the question(s) and explaining why the quotes and passages you’ve chosen are significant. You do not need to consult research or outside sources for this paper.

Prompt: Write an essay examining how a text (short story or poem) of your choosing makes a statement about a social issue (class, race, gender, ageism, cultural identity). What claim does the story seem to be making? How does it use literary devices to illustrate its point? Is the text speaking to a specific audience or society? How does the text show this?

Remember: Use professional writing. Do not use personal pronouns like “you”, “us”, “our”, etc. Instead, use “individuals” or “society”.

Notes: The Fiction Essay

Notes – The Fiction Essay.pptx

 
 Download Notes – The Fiction Essay.pptx

         

Notes – The Fiction Essay

 
 Download Notes – The Fiction Essay

 
Start by reading these notes over the fiction essay. This document is available as a PowerPoint and as a . 

Helpful Guide: The Writing Process:

Writing a Fiction Analysis Essay x

 
 Download Writing a Fiction Analysis Essay x

   

Writing a Fiction Analysis Essay

 Download Writing a Fiction Analysis Essay

This guide covers each step of the writing process for this essay. It is available as a Word document and as a .

Sample Essay Outline:

Fiction Essay Sample Outline

 Download Fiction Essay Sample Outline

Fiction Essay Sample Outline x

 
 Download Fiction Essay Sample Outline x

 
This outline is an example of how to plan and organize an essay for this assignment. Its basis is an imaginary story. It is available as a Word document and as a .
You do not have to submit an outline for this assignment, though you are encouraged to create one before writing your essay. Either way, this guide can be helpful to you in understanding how to organize your essay. 

 

Rubric

Essay 2

Full Marks
Thesis presents clear argument, thesis focuses on theme, thesis relates to meaning beyond summary.

17 pts

No Description
Thesis meets most criteria: clear argument, focused on theme, relates to meaning beyond summary.

15 pts

No Description
Thesis meets few criteria: presents clear argument, focuses on theme, relates to meaning beyond summary. Review Lesson 2 information about thesis statements.

10 pts

No Description
Off topic / missing

20 pts

20 pts

20 pts

20 pts

20 pts

Essay 2
Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThesis						20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeTopic Sentences / Organization	20 pts Full Marks Essay is organized around topic sentences that clearly and directly support thesis. Thesis is not organized around summary. 17 pts No Description Thesis is organized by arguments, but in some paragraphs over-relies on summary. Be sure that topic sentences lead each paragraph and directly relate to thesis. Do not begin paragraphs with summary. Clarifying topic sentences and connections to thesis would be beneficial 14 pts No Description Thesis is not organized by arguments, and in most or all paragraphs over-relies on summary. Be sure that topic sentences lead each paragraph and directly relate to thesis. Do not begin paragraphs with summary. Clarifying topic sentences and connections to thesis would be beneficial 10 pts No Description Essay is almost entirely summary.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFormatting / Clarity	20 pts Full Marks MLA format – 1,000-1,250 words – Purposeful paragraphs – Clearly written with evidence of revision – Relatively free from error 17 pts No Description MLA format with some mistakes – 1,000-1,250 words – Purposeful paragraphs – evidence of revision – Some minor errors 14 pts No Description MLA format inconsistently used – Essay written about a story outside of Lesson 5 – May be too short – Less Purposeful paragraphs – Some evidence of revision – Several minor errors, possible some major clarity errors 10 pts No Description Not written to meet formatting and clarity requirements. Review MLA format and work to revise more carefully. A visit to the writing lab may be beneficial.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEvidence	20 pts Full Marks Essay supports each point with evidence from story – Quotes are clearly integrated and properly cited 17 pts No Description Essay supports most points with evidence from story – Quotes are mostly integrated and properly cited 14 pts No Description Essay uses quotes to support some ideas – Not all quotes are integrated into the author’s sentences – Review quote integration and citation guidelines 10 pts No Description Essay needs more support from quotes – Essay makes claims that are not or cannot be supported by story
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeComposition	20 pts Full Marks Essay is written to exceed assignment requirements – literary analysis is focus of essay 17 pts No Description Essay relies on summary and does not make enough use of original analysis – Structure to support a thesis is clear – literary analysis is focus of essay 14 pts No Description Essay relies too heavily on summary and does not make enough use of original analysis – Structure to support a thesis is less clear – literary analysis is not consistently the focus of the essay – essay may misidentify theme – Off topic / wrong story 10 pts No Description Essay is almost entirely summary – Essay does not have a thesis and structure to support thesis – Original points not included – literary analysis is not the focus of the essay
Total Points: 100

Previous

Next