seductive

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  • 17 Mar, 2021
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seductive

Instructions
BACKGROUND: In our previous unit we read a graphic novel that focused on two teenaged characters who, throughout most of the book, perceive their own social world as grotesque and bizarre. Ghost World has something of a dystopian tinge to it; our book for this unit, Margaret Atwood’s The Heart Goes Last, belongs fully to the genre of dystopian fiction. Although Atwood is Canadian, she has made clear that the more relevant context for this story is the USA. In class, we have articulated questions raised by this novel about present-day life in this country. In your essay, you will have to synthesize some of the questions in order to come up with a larger point that you think the book makes.

ESSAY PROMPT QUESTIONS (PICK **ONE** OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS):

1.Why in the book do some crucial instances in which people alleviate other people’s suffering end up seeming dehumanizing? Consider, for example, what Positron does for the people it brings in off the street or what Charmaine does for the men who are undergoing “the procedure.”
2. What does the book ultimately suggest we should value if we are aiming to lead a good life? You will have to define “good” in this context based on evidence from the book. Consider especially the book’s ending.
3. How does the book suggest we might guard against misleading marketing campaigns like Positron’s? Consider tell-tale signs of deception in Positron’s campaign, and consider psychological traits that get in the way of the characters’ critical thinking.
4. How does the book suggest we might guard against the dangers of seductive technological innovations that potentially threaten our humanity? Consider examples from the book such as the prostibots, the next-level possibilibots, the babies’ blood exchange, and/ or “the procedure.”

HOW TO DO IT: In your thesis statement, which should come at the end of a one-to-two paragraph introduction, directly answer your essay prompt. Topic sentences should make claims/ points smaller than, but closely related to, the main point in your thesis. Use PIE paragraph structure for body paragraphs. Make sure to write effective transitions between the paragraphs. Make sure, too, to discuss the style and form of the novel, not just the plot.

You may find that it’s difficult or even frustratingly reductive to boil this novel down to *one* overarching point, even if you do a good job covering related, smaller points in the body paragraphs. If so, you can say so; you can point to an alternate perspective in a counterargument paragraph or paragraphs. This is, after all, a work of art we’re writing about. It’s not a manifesto or a clear-cut newspaper op-ed piece. The novel may include and allow for multiple perspectives. Indeed, you should include in your essay some acknowledgement of at least one other perspective on the book. That acknowledgment likely will take the form of a counterargument or (optional) quotes and/ or paraphrases from secondary sources.

Of course, if you use secondary sources, you must use parenthetical documentation and include the sources on an MLA-style Works Cited list. Even if you don’t use secondary sources, please include an MLA-style Works Cited list with at least one item (Atwood’s novel).

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (for a passing grade):

Quote from the novel and discuss quoted passages.
Write readable, coherent, focused paragraphs and sentences.
Write a minimum of 1600 words.
Double space your text and indent your paragraphs.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR:

Orientation and direction. What’s YOUR angle on The Heart Goes Last, and where do you want to take your reader? Show me a way of looking at this text and make me understand why it’s worthwhile to look at the text in this way.
Thesis statement. Yes, the thesis statement is closely related to #1 (above), but some students do ok with orientation and direction without ever capturing their argument in a thesis statement. You will get a better grade if you can make a supportable claim which you articulate in a statement of 1-2 sentences at the end of your introduction.
Discussion of formal/ stylistic features of the text. Examples include (you don’t need to discuss ALL of these!): sentence structure, word choice, narrative structure, relation to literary conventions (examples: “dystopian fiction,” “speculative fiction”), etc.
Awareness/ anticipation of other voices/ positions. How well do you use your secondary sources and/ or counterarguments? Note that secondary sources are not required for this essay, but if you don’t use secondary sources, you must at least incorporate a hypothetical counterargument (“Some readers may object…”) Do you give your reader the sense that you are having something like a real conversation with the critics and/ or other readers (“listening” to what they have to say and responding in a thoughtful, relevant way)? Make sure to include both the novel AND any secondary sources on your Works Cited page.
Focused paragraphs with good transitions.
Well-connected, well-constructed sentences.
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