English 222

ENG 222 – Assignment Prompt
Paper Three – due Friday, 4/15 by 11:59 PM in Canvas/TurnItIn drop box!

Requirements:
MLA format (A MUST)

In-Text citations according to MLA format (A MUST)

Works Cited page in MLA format (A MUST)

Sources: Only your textbook should be used – cite the copies of the book I give you! The text and editor’s information in the book will be all you need. I want to see what you think and how you synthesize material. Get comfortable with your ideas and how you respond to literature before bringing in tons of research (save that for the last, big paper).

Length: 4 FULL pages (I require at least 4 FULL pages. Anything shorter than 4 FULL pages will be docked harshly. I would shoot for a little on the 5th page just to be safe, honestly.)

Prompt: We’ve spent the last few weeks covering Modernism, for better or for worse. Modernism is very bleak, lacking hope, brightness, or happiness, but there is a lot to be said for the post-World War I period. The art was strange, but it gave us a point of view of the world that has yet to be recaptured. We know by now that Modernist writers were mostly disillusioned with life – how else were they to cope in a world destroyed by war? A few of the hallmarks of Modernism are – briefly – experimental narrative/writing forms and subject matter, a bleak outlook of life and society, a focus on the self and internal struggles, and the knowledge that the only truth is death. It’s like the upside down version of Romanticism!
We’ve also spent the last few days reading and analyzing T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” a poem that symbolizes the Modernist movement. Then we have the character of Prufrock himself, a shy, self-conscious individual who seems to struggle with self-hatred and low self-esteem. I mean, he believes not even the sirens – creatures whose sole purpose is to trick and kill men – don’t want him because of his looks and personality. However, he may or may not be as “ugly” as he says; it may just be his damaged psyche tormenting him. Not only that, but we have a warped reality set before us in the poem, with changing settings and a “lady friend,” who may or may not be a prostitute and who may or may not even be there. That being said, how is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” a Modernist poem? What characteristics of Modernism does it fulfill and how? What specific instances and evidence can you give to defend this point? What about Prufrock himself – how is he a Modernist character? Does he embody the jaded, depressed nature of the time period? Why or why not? How so?
I’ve mentioned more than once that this is “a poem about nothing.” What exactly do we mean when we say this? Why? What conclusions did we come to in class about the nature of the poem? What is your take on the reality of the events in this poem? Remember to use specific information and quotes to support your ideas.
Finish the paper by comparing Prufrock to the nameless “Mary Something” in A Room of One’s Own. How do these two characters relate? Are their points of view similar? How so or why not? Are they in the same boat, or can/should their situations even be compared? Do we leave both works with a sense of hopelessness, or is one more positive than the other? Does one leave a more hopeful tone for the future than the other, or do they both follow the Modernist trend of doom and gloom? Why or why not?
(Remember – though I am asking your opinion, avoid using “I think” or “I feel.” Simple, forceful, declarative sentences get your points across much better! Remember common errors made, too – comma splices, run-ons, s/v agreement, etc.). If you didn’t do well on the first paper, then I expect this one to be much better.
Citing Verse in MLA
By now, you should all know how to cite fiction within your papers, but there is a special process to be taken for citing poetry within your papers. The correct process is as follows:
•    Choose the lines you would like to quote to support your main idea
•    Insert slashes between the lines to indicate the line breaks
•    If you are quoting more than four lines of poetry, you must use a block quote.
Example: In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” she personifies Death by giving him not only a gender, but also giving him human mannerisms and emotions. For example, in the second stanza, Dickinson writes, “We slowly drove – he knew no haste / And I had put away / My labor and my leisure too, for His Civility” (Lines 5-8).
•    This is the model you should follow. Separate the lines with slashes, and the line numbers should go in parentheses.
Example: In Hamlet’s speech to his mother, Gertrude, in the “closet scene” of Hamlet, he reveals his fixation on his mother’s sexuality. Not only is this mildly disturbing for the reader, but it also cements the presence of Freud’s Oedipal Complex through Hamlet’s resentfulness towards her husband:
O shame! where is thy blush? Rebellious hell,
If thou canst mutine in a matron’s bones,
To flaming youth let virtue be as wax,
And melt in her own fire: proclaim no shame
When the compulsive ardour gives the charge,
Since frost itself as actively doth burn
And reason panders will. (Lines 45-51)
NOTICE – This quote is longer than four lines, which means I have to set it off in a block quote. To do this, simply hit “Enter,” go down a line, and indent (Tab) the material over twice. Also, the placing of the punctuation is different here. When block quoting, the period goes before the citation, like the one seen above.
When citing a poem, typically only the line numbers should go in the parentheses instead of the author’s name. You should mention the pome title and the author immediately.

By now, you should be trained not to do these things, but here’s a reminder. You will be nailed for these kinds of mistakes:
1.    Using second person – “you”: You want to avoid using “you” in your papers because it directly addresses the reader. This is frowned upon because it is not formal, as college papers should be.
2.    Asking rhetorical questions: Avoid asking questions in your paper. Do not ask the reader an open question and then move on. If you pose a questions, answer it right afterwards!
3.    Comma splices: As some of you have probably already covered, comma splices are very important to avoid. This is when two sentences are joined together with a comma instead of a proper period. See the example below
Ex. I went to the park yesterday, my dog and I wore ourselves out.  — See how this is a comma splice? These are two stand-alone sentences jammed together with a comma. To fix this, just get rid of the comma and add a period to make two separate sentences.
4.    Slang: Avoid using slang in your papers – use proper words for what you mean. Although I will more than likely understand the reference, make sure to be professional!

Only use the two articles provided in the essay.  Please make sure to read all of the instructions the professor is very picky.