Write a paper of 4-5 pages (c. 1200-1500 words) in which you consider several passages from a single work in the Africa module that bear on a single topic.1 For example, you might
• consider several incidents in which an aspect of a character's personality is exhibited
• consider several passages in which a theme of the work (e.g., destiny, wisdom, motherhood, etc.) is illustrated, discussed, or otherwise presented, or
• consider several passages that you are able to connect through an idea that you apply to the work (but that is not a theme presented by the work itself).
"Several" means at least two but, since this is a relatively short paper and you should really discuss (and not merely mention) the passages you consider, you should hesitate to choose more than three or four.
You should avoid passages that bear on your topic in the same way. Each passage you consider should add something new to the discussion and not merely replicate one you have already discussed. For example, a passage might enable you to qualify the account of a character's personality that is suggested by passages already considered. Or it might enable you to fill out your account of a theme by illustrating a further aspect of it. Or the passages you consider might represent an apparent contradiction that you are able to reconcile by way of the idea you apply to the work.
The organization of this paper can vary considerably depending on the topic you are discussing and the way it appears in the individual passages. One approach that will be appropriate in most cases is to first introduce the topic, then discuss the passages one by one, and finally conclude by drawing together these individual discussions and commenting on the group as a whole in a way that indicates the special contribution made to it by each of the passages you considered.
Monday 10/10 is a lecture day, so I won't meet you in class. If you want to hand in a hard copy, you can catch me at the lecture or drop it off at my office (Center 200H) or in my box in Center 207. But it's fine to turn in the paper electronically, either as an e-mail attachment or in the drop box of the Blackboard site for our section. (If you want a specific time for the deadline, you can count it as midnight.)
1 In the case of poetry, you may consider more than one poem, but it will be best if you choose poems from a single author. Also, although the concept of "passages" does not apply directly to painting or sculpture, I do not mean to exclude the possibility of writing about that material. If you are interested in doing so, speak to me about ways of doing something analogous. Speak to me also if you have an idea for a paper that does not fit the specifications I have given above.