English World Literature

Order Description
Assignment: Write multi-paragraph argument essay on one of the topics. Your argument should provide clear reasons why you have a stronger case, as if you were a lawyer in court.

1-paragraph (4-8 sentences) statement of topic
3-page Draft
5-6 page Paper

In other words, here are some of the parts of your essay:
1) An introduction
2) Your thesis and main point (part of the introduction)
3) Subtopics (2 to 5 of them)
4) Included as part of the Subtopics: Other people?s ideas on the issue
5) A conclusion, in which the thesis is again stated

Option 1: Father Knows Best
Sor Juana, ?Response,? and poems.
Aphra Behn, Oroonoko
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poems.
(You may choose to write about only two of these.)
Secondary Sources: (You must refer to at least one, if not both.)
?Romanticism.? E.322-25. (our text)
Brizee, Allen, et al. ?Feminist Criticism.? (link on BlackBoard)

Some guide questions: (you may or may not use these)
? These authors are writing in three different periods and places, ranging from the 1600s in Mexico to the 1800s in England. Yet they are all female writers who have to contend with a culture that limits the power of women. How do they combat and deal with the patriarchal societies they live in? What are some specific aspects of their particular cultures?
? These authors portray the lives of women in varying ways. Also, they have varying messages. For example, Sor Juana argues for more education for women, using religious reasons, although she is also critiquing religion in some ways. Barrett Browning portrays the woman as the suitor, rather than the man, which was the traditional way. What are these authors suggesting about women?s roles, and does their specific setting affect what they are arguing for?
? What is Aphra Behn saying about women?s roles? She focuses her tale on a man, Oroonoko, though she does also reveal her ideas on women. For example, she writes about the bride of Oroonoko, Imoinda, pointing out that in their culture, the women ?worship? their man, and that it is appropriate for a wife to die with her husband (242). At the same time, Behn herself is an example of an independent woman writer. How do these ideas fit together?if they do?