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Paper details
Context: You have just completed an informative report essay which required you to closely examine and
research an important topic of discussion within your field of study. Before that, you wrote a visual text
analysis essay that required you to closely examine and analyze the rhetorical elements within images.
Now, for your third writing project, you will be closely examining and analyzing a literary text, specifically
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Purpose: The purpose of this writing project is to help you develop and expand your critical thinking,
reading and writing skills even more as you closely study and analyze a literary text. Throughout the writing
process you will learn and practice reading and writing strategies that lead to a solid understanding of the
text and its relevance in society. The skills you develop with this project will increase your ability to think
critically and better understand many other kinds of texts as well, including political, informative,
argumentative, etc.
Objective: You will choose a topic related to Alice in Wonderland; a topic that allows you to participate in a
broader academic conversation. Your participation in the conversation means that you will be making an
argument about some aspect of the text that you believe is important or especially interesting. You will
support your argument with evidence from the text in Alice in Wonderland and from other secondary
sources.
Suggestions: Consider the following questions: Is there a compelling theme or subject ⸺⸺such as power,
order/chaos, time, curiosity, sanity, identity, education, childhood, logic, word-play, etc. ⸺⸺that is prevalent
in the story? Why does it stand out to you? Why is this topic important and/or relevant to society? Is there a
particular writing style that Carroll uses that you believe is especially effective (or not effective) in making
the story more engaging? How well does the story match with your perceptions of modern family, school,
and social life? What was Lewis Carroll’s background, and how did his life shape his writing? Once you
have decided on a topic, reread the stories and do research to start gathering evidence that will support
your argument.
REQUIREMENTS:
Essay must include all key elements of a literary analysis: arguable thesis, attention to language/text,
attention to patterns/themes, clear interpretation.
Essay must be at least 1200 words, 12pt font, MLA format
Must include research from at least 3 secondary sources (not Alice in Wonderland)
Must add a works cited page that includes Alice and at least 3 other secondary sources
Author’s notes for 1st draft and final draft