Paper Assignment #2 

LaRose by Louis Erdrich

Instructions: Choose one of the options below to plan, write, and edit an essay directed at a reader who is intelligent and well-informed, already familiar with Erdrich's book, and impatient with idle talk about your topic. In other words, craft the sort of thesis-driven, style conscious essay that Trimble encourages in Chapters 1 – 8 of Writing with Style.

Analysis Paper
Use the lecture, “Reading Fiction,” and our in-class activity on theme as the basis for this essay. Choose one of the novel's key themes and demonstrate how your interpretation benefits your reader. Explain how certain significant events in the story communicate the theme. In other words, craft an interpretive argument that demonstrates how the theme is central to appreciating the novel's impact.
Your paper should be approximately 1,000 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Comparison Paper
Read one of the following Louise Erdrich novels and compare it to LaRose. Consider how she uses the elements of fiction to express her themes. What do the books have in common? What is different? How do you account for the differences? In what ways do the two books complement each other? In what ways does each cover new, albeit related, territory?
  • The Round House
  • The Plague of Doves
  • Love Medicine
  • The Antelope Wife
  • The Bingo Palace
Your paper should be approximately 1,000 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Creative Paper
For the purposes of this paper, assume 14 years have passed since Hollis' graduation party. It is now 2017. Imagine you are Maggie. You are married to Waylon and still living on the reservation. Josette and Hollis are also married and living in the Iron house. Snow lives nearby. Landreaux and Peter are dead; Emmaline and Nola now live in the elder's lodge. LaRose moved to Minneapolis after high school graduation. As Maggie, write an email to LaRose, telling him how you're doing and asking advice about your 9 year-old niece, named after him, who is exhibiting strange behavior involving "imaginary friends." In your email, reflect upon ways in which current events in your life had roots in the events of the novel. Obviously this will take an act of imagination on your part; even so, try to remain true to both the style and the spirit of the original novel.
Your paper should be approximately 1,000 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Research Paper
Watch the De Anza Library’s Information Literacy Videos found at this link: http://www.deanza.edu/library/infoliteracy.html.  This information will assist you in researching and writing on the following topic. Use a minimum of five sources in your paper, including the book, LaRose. Compose a paper that introduces your reader to the literary career of Louise Erdrich, including relevant aspects of her biography, bibliography, and critical reception. Include both general and scholarly references, and carefully integrate your sources into the fabric of your discussion. Why should intelligent, educated members of our society read Erdrich’s books? Of what value are they? Use the techniques of analysis, synthesis, and comparison in your essay.
Your paper should be approximately 1,500 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Suggested Due Date for Analysis, Comparison, or Creative Paper: Wednesday, May 31 / Thursday, June 1.
Suggested Due Date for Research Paper: Monday, June 5 / Tuesday, June 6.
Submit your paper to our class account on Turnitin.com
Mon/Wed 15175337
Tue/Thu 15175342
Password: paper4denny
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