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English 230: Essay 2 Assignment: For this essay, you’ll be comparing and contrasting The Handmaid’s Tale with Tara Westover’s Educated. Both texts explore dimensions of female oppression, dominance and control, lack of knowledge, and a subsequent escape from these circumstances. I want you to explore questions such as the challenges both main characters faced. How were the beliefs of their respective communities similar? How were they different? How were these oppressive situations enforced and maintained? How did each woman maintain her own identity in the face of her circumstances? How were the possible intentions of each writer similar or different, and how does each story reflect these intentions? (The above are suggestions to get you started. You may choose to use these and/or come up with some of your own ideas). Research and Organization: You must use two sources from Greenville Tech’s library’s databases, as well as two additional sources (which may also come from the library but don’t have to). The third and fourth sources do not have to come from our college’s library; however, they must be reliable/credible sources. Using more than four sources total and/or not using the sources mentioned above will result in a significant deduction of points. (Note that you’ll also cite the two books, for a total of six cited works.)The types of sources you’ll most likely be using are ones that give information about the authors’ work and literary criticisms about their work. • The introductory paragraph needs to grab the reader’s attention and contain the thesis statement. • Each body paragraph should choose one topic to compare and contrast within The Handmaid’s Tale and Educated. • After you have initially introduced the authors by their first and last names, be sure to refer to them by their last names only throughout the rest of the essay. Ex. Westover, Atwood, etc. • The conclusion needs to tie the essay together and should restate the thesis (but in different words). Ultimately, the conclusion shouldn’t be boring and should leave the reader thinking about the information the essay covers. Keep in mind that no new information should be brought up in the conclusion. • Be sure to use two sources from the library, as well as two additional reliable sources (which may also come from the library if you would like them to). That’s four sources total. Don’t use more sources than that. [CLARIFICATION: these four sources are in addition to the two books. You’ll have six sources in your Works Cited but four of them you’ll find on your own.] • Use signal phrases to introduce your sources. Signal phrases have two purposes: First, they let the reader know where your thoughts and ideas end and where your sources’ thoughts and ideas begin. Second, they should be used to introduce quotes, summaries, and paraphrases. The first time a source is introduced, a detailed description should be used to tell the reader something about the source so that the reader understands why the source is important to the essay. • The essay should include quotations, summaries, and paraphrases and be written in the third person. Quotes should be used sparingly; summaries and paraphrases should primarily be used. Essays that do not contain in-text citations when necessary and a Works Cited page will receive a zero–since this is considered plagiarism. Specifics: 900-1,300 words (a ¼ point deduction for each word above or below the required word count). The Works Cited page and MLA header do not count in the word total. If you feel that you need to go over the word count, please discuss this with me ahead of time, or I will deduct points for each word over the 1,300 word maximum. You must use MLA format: • header, page number, etc. • signal phrases • in-text citations • works cited page Make sure to include a creative title with your essay; don’t just simply use Essay 2 as your title. Point of View: 3rd Person (no 1st person “I” or 2nd person “you”) When writing about the events of each story, use literary present tense. If you include information about each author or details that are outside of the story, use past tense. Your work will be graded according to the English Department Grading Rubric, which includes areas such as content, grammar, organization, and MLA. Your essay must be submitted through Blackboard by the due date/time to avoid receiving a zero. Computer problems will not count as an excuse for turning the essay in late. Remember that any and all of the following count as plagiarism and can lead to an automatic failure of the assignment: • failure to include either in-text citations and/or a works cited page • neglecting to provide in-text citations for anything borrowed from a source, whether you quoted it, paraphrased it, or summarized it • neglecting to provide a works cited entry for a source used and cited in-text • not paraphrasing source information thoroughly enough—the ideas/information may have come from somewhere else, but the way those ideas are worded must be 100% original to you or else be in quotation marks. • not using quotation marks when quoting a source word for word • any additional information in The Bedford Handbook that outlines plagiarism When in doubt, cite! Though I will not require handing them in as part of the assignment, I reserve the right, at any time, to demand to see copies of your source materials. Therefore you should keep copies or files which can be easily accessed and given to me in the event of a request.