Literature in History III Postmodern/Postcolonial Paper
due 11:00 p.m., Saturday, 6 December

Send papers as Microsoft Word attachments to rpfeingold@smcm.edu. Make sure, if you’re using a newer version of Word, that you use a .doc extension, rather than a .docx.
I will confirm receipt, so if you haven’t heard from me by midnight, try again.

Your paper should be 6 pages, or roughly 2100 words. Please don’t include your name anywhere on the paper itself--I grade anonymously. After I’m done, I can reconstruct who wrote what from my e-mail files.
For further information about my general technical & stylistic expectations, please see my paper-writing FAQ page : this will give you information about citation styles, tips on how to construct an argument, etc. It’s really important that you read this document all the way through--I don’t know how to stress this any more!

Assignment:
Since you’ve already written a paper for me before, this one shouldn’t be too surprising. Write an essay about a recurrent theme, image, collection of symbols, idea, or narrative device in Arcadia, Waterland, Once Were Warriors, or White Teeth. Donít stop at listing or describing the phenomenon in question, but formulate an argument about what it means, why it matters vis-a-vis an overall reading of the text.

For example, it’s not enough to say “The French Revolution shows up an awful lot in Waterland”; instead, try “Tom Crick’s recurrent references to the French Revolution neatly encapsulate an epistemological question at the heart of Waterland: are we to understand history as a continual striving for something better, or as a an endless circle of events moving us always back to where we began?” Or an observation that the word “potential” is used throughout Once Were Warriors could be transformed into an argument that Grace’s potential gets snuffed out because the Maori, by virtue of having lost touch with their past, have also lost any ability to envision their own futures.

I expect a clearly stated thesis; a well-developed argument; and careful, close analysis of individual textual passages that you cite to support your argument. Please look at the paper-writing instructions for tips and guidelines on quoting and interpreting text in your writing. As I’d really like to see what you’re thinking, I would prefer that you don’t use outside sources; if, however, you do, you will of course include a bibliography.

Possible general topics include:

Reclaimation in Waterland
Gardens in Arcadia
Stars in Once Were Warriors
Teeth in White Teeth
Education as metaphor in Waterland, or Arcadia
Insanity, Drunkeness, and Mysticism in Waterland
Parents and children in Once Were Warriors (or White Teeth)
Fate and free will in White Teeth
Chaos theory and/or the deteministic universe in Arcadia
History (some aspect thereof) in any of the texts
Sexuality & curiosity in Waterland and Arcadia
Point of View or narrative voice in any of the novels
Stage directions in Arcadia
etc., etc.

Youíre absolutely not required to write on one of these topicsótheyíre just here as suggestions, in case you canít think of anything. Remember that these are general topics—you will still need to generate a thesis on your own. If youíre stuck, please feel free to come talk to me. You should also consider seeing one of the Writing Center tutors in the library.