Assignment 2
Assignment description
 |
| source: VAS Homepage |
For this assignment, you will perform a close reading of one of the sections of VAS. Following the guidelines for explication and close reading in Writing about Literature, you will take into account all the relevant details in the section you have chosen—character, narrative, theme, images—and explain the relationship of those details to the overall effect of that section. Similar to Assignment 1, your close reading should end by demonstrating the importance of the section to the themes of the work as a whole.
This will be a more formal paper than the one you completed for Assignment 1. Although there is no one “right” way to write an explication, this paper should adhere more closely to the standards of academic essay writing. Specifically, it should have an introduction and conclusion, and proceed through its main points in a rationally organized fashion. For some examples of possible organizational methods (and descriptions of methods that you will want to avoid in academic writing) see this handout on introducing and organizing academic papers.
Audience
You can assume that the audience for this paper is familiar with VAS and its themes. Imagine someone who read the book a few years ago, and who remembers the overall arc of the plot but not necessarily all of its details. For example, it will be an audience that knows the book contains images, yet if you discuss a particular image, you will need to describe the relevant details of it so that that the audience can follow your analysis. In general, while you will not need to provide an in-depth explanation of the book’s plot or descriptions of all of its characters, you will need to provide enough background information about each to make your analysis—which will deal with the details of the work—understandable for this audience.
Length and format
Each submission of Assignment 2 should be 3–4 double-spaced pages in length and formatted according to MLA style. Consult the instructions on using MLA style in Gardner, pp. 113–133, to ensure that the headings, margins, citations, and other features of your paper are formatted in accordance with MLA guidelines.
Due dates
The first submission of Assignment 1 is due on 2/28; the second submission is due on 3/20.
