Paper Assignment #4

The Country House by Donald Margulies

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 Margulies' play, and impatient with idle talk about your topic. In other words, craft the sort of thesis-driven, style-conscious essay that Trimble encourages in his textbook Writing with Style.

Analysis Paper
Using the lecture, “Reading Drama,” as your guide, compose a character analysis of any one of the characters in The Country House. Consider that character's arc of development from first entrance to final exit. What sort of emotional baggage did your character bring to the house? How did they confront their central issue (or how were they made to confront it)? What condition are they in at the final blackout? Cite two or three key scenes that illustrate these changes and "prove" your interpretation
Your paper should be approximately 1,000 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Comparison Paper
Read one of the following Donald Margulies plays and compare it to The Country House. Consider how he uses the elements of drama to express his themes. What do the plays have in common? What is different? How do you account for the differences? In what ways do the two plays complement each other? In what ways does each cover new territory?
  • Time Stands Still
  • Dinner with Friends
  • Shipwrecked!
  • God of Vengeance
  • Brooklyn Boy
  • Coney Island Christmas
Your paper should be approximately 1,000 words in length, written in correct MLA format.
Creative Paper
Consider The Country House as an exploration of grief and loss. Using psychologist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' model for understanding the stages of grief, examine the play from this perspective. To what extent do these characters exhibit Kubler-Ross's symptoms? From the vantage point of the final cathartic scene, what central theme emerges from Margulies' play? In other words, what is Margulies saying about grief and loss in this play? As you write, explore your own "voice" as a writer. Use Trimble's advice about attractive formatting, interesting phrasing, and dramatic plotting from Chapter 10 as inspiration. Stylistic risk-taking will be rewarded!
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 play, The Country House. Compose a paper that introduces your reader to the literary/theatrical career of Donald Margulies, including relevant aspects of his 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 view/read Margulies' plays? 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.
Due Date: Wednesday, June 28.
Submit your paper to our class account on Turnitin.com
Class ID#:
Mon/Wed 15175337
Tue/Thu 15175342
Password: paper4denny
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