Final Draft Due Date:
By 11:59 pm on Monday, December 9
*for all other due dates, see the Unit 3 Schedule
Course Worth:
100 points
20% of final course grade
Suggested Length:
6-7 pages
Project 3 Audience:
For Project 3, you are writing for an intelligent person who may have read The Handmaid’s Tale, but who may not understand the role, relevance, or meaning of your particular subject matter. That being said, you will need to provide the appropriate context for the book.
Background and Purpose:
As a dystopian novel (or, in Margaret Atwood’s words, a work of “speculative fiction”), The Handmaid’s Tale imagines a nightmarish future in which a totalitarian theocratic government subjugates and enslaves women for sexual reproduction. Since its publication in 1985, the book has been critically acclaimed (winning the Arthur C. Clarke Award, nominated for a Booker Prize and a Nebula Award) and often banned (it was one of the most frequently banned books of the 1990s and 2000s). In 2017, The Handmaid’s Tale became a wildly popular Hulu series, and its sales increased by 200 percent. The novel confronts many complex themes still relevant to our culture today, including the relationship of POWER to sex, gender, language, religion, love, oppression, surveillance, policing, and subjugation and control, to name a few.
Margaret Atwood has often remarked, “everything that happened in The Handmaid’s Tale has happened in real life.” For Project 3, your purpose is to flex your critical-thinking skills and develop a “lens”* essay to help your audience understand the complexity and current relevance of your subject matter. You will do this through your analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale and the integration of nuanced and diverse outside sources.
*In this case, a “lens” project asks you to apply your understanding of a text or concept to another text or concept.
The Project 3 Essay will assess the following English 124 Student Learning Outcomes:
- locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from sources representing diverse perspectives in order to construct arguments.
Task
For the Project 3 Essay, develop a literary argument on The Handmaid’s Tale and then use this argument as a “lens” to evaluate our current culture/society. To support your literary argument and societal evaluation, you will need to synthesize and work critically with The Handmaid’s Tale and at least three (3) credible sources that offer clarity or insight into your major claim/thesis. These sources should support, deepen, or even complicate your argument. You may also use visuals in this essay as evidence; however, they will not count as your outside sources.
Steps to Develop the Project 3 Essay
1). Choose a central theme/idea from The Handmaid’s Tale that interests you. This can be one of the themes that we are discussing in class (The Role of Language, Feminism and Gender, Surveillance and Panopticism, Resistance and Rebellion) or this can be another theme that interests you. Several more themes are listed on the Reading Log info page.
2). Trace this theme throughout The Handmaid’s Tale. Moving forward, use your Reading Log for this. Take note of Chapters and textual evidence that relate to your theme.
3). Develop a major claim on how this theme functions in The Handmaid’s Tale.
4). Develop a “question of inquiry” to speculate how this theme functions in our society today.
Here are some examples of Steps 3 and 4:
Example 1:
Major Claim: The Handmaid’s Tale demonstrates, through the theocratic government in Gilead, that religion and its associated language is a
powerful tool in shaping people’s actions as well as public opinion.
Question of Inquiry: In our current American society, to what extent does Christianity and its associated
language play in shaping people’s actions as well as public opinion?
Example 2:
Major Claim: The Handmaid’s Tale emphasizes how women are mistreated and deprived of their rights; however, rather than being
helplessly submissive, women throughout the novel show subtle means of resistance — their survival depends on it.
Questions of Inquiry: To what extent in our current American society are women oppressed and/or deprived of their rights? What recent
forms of resistance or social movements have been most effective in promoting women’s equality?
5). Using our Grossmont College Library and intelligent web research, gather some credible sources that support, deepen, or even complicate your literary argument and societal evaluation.
Actions, or establish relationships, between your four (4) sources (The Handmaid’s Tale + 3 outside sources).
7). Draft your essay.
Grading Criteria:
1). Does the writer present a clear, coherent, and intelligent argument about a specific thematic aspect of The Handmaid’s Tale? Does the writer then clearly evaluate the degree to which this aspect functions in our current society? Is the topic clearly focused, defined, and developed through the course of the project?
2). Does the writer properly introduce the topic and offer the necessary context for the audience to enter the conversation?
3). Do the body paragraphs employ clear topic sentences, textual examples, and work to explain and interpret the relevance of the chosen subject?
4). Do the body paragraphs introduce, contextualize, and integrate credible sources (The Handmaid’s Tale + 3 outside sources) into the conversation? Does the writer make connections between the sources and their own ideas? Does the writer use MLA documentation to cite sources responsibly?
5). Does the writer effectively use rhetorical strategies to develop a credible ethos and appeal to logic and emotion?
6). Does the writer logically organize the project and guide the audience through their ideas?
First, let’s review the task for the Project 3 Essay:
For the Project 3 Essay, develop a literary argument on The Handmaid’s Tale and then use this argument as a “lens” to evaluate our current culture/society. To support your literary argument and societal evaluation, you will need to synthesize and work critically with The Handmaid’s Tale and at least three (3) credible sources that offer clarity or insight into your major claim/thesis.These sources should support, deepen, or even complicate your argument. You may also use visuals in this essay as evidence; however, they will not count as your outside sources.
And now, the recommended steps to develop the Project 3 Essay:
NOTE: At this point, you should be at Step 5.
1). Choose a central theme/idea from The Handmaid’s Tale that interests you. This can be one of the themes that we are discussing in class (The Role of Language, Feminism and Gender, Surveillance and Panopticism, Resistance and Rebellion) or this can be another theme that interests you. Several more themes are listed on the Reading Log info page.
2). Trace this theme throughout The Handmaid’s Tale. Moving forward, use your Reading Log for this. Take note of Chapters and textual evidence that relate to your theme.
3). Develop a major claim on how this theme functions in The Handmaid’s Tale.
4). Develop a “question of inquiry” to speculate how this theme functions in our society today.
Here are some examples of Steps 3 and 4:
Example 1:
Major Claim: The Handmaid’s Tale demonstrates, through the theocratic government in Gilead, that religion and its associated language
is a powerful tool in shaping people’s actions as well as public opinion.
Question of Inquiry: In our current American society, to what extent does Christianity and its associated
language play in shaping people’s actions as well as public opinion?
Example 2:
Major Claim: The Handmaid’s Tale emphasizes how women are mistreated and deprived of their rights; however, rather than being
helplessly submissive, women throughout the novel show subtle means of resistance — their survival depends on it.
Questions of Inquiry: To what extent in our current American society are women oppressed and/or deprived of their rights? What recent
forms of resistance or social movements have been most effective in promoting women’s equality? Or, how can this discussion of
women’s rights also be applied to our current transgender population?
5). Using our Grossmont College Library and intelligent web research, gather some credible sources that support, deepen, or even your literary argument and societal evaluation.
6). Organize and synthesize, or establish relationships, between your four (4) sources (The Handmaid’s Tale + 3 outside sources).
7). Draft your essay.
8). Revise your essay.
9). Submit the final draft.
Working with Sources in a Literary Argument
At this point in your academic writing career, you are familiar with “why” and “how” to integrate sources into an essay. However, depending on your past courses, you may have not written a Literary Argument or an essay whose purpose is to prove a claim about a work of literature.
As part of your task for the Project 3 Essay, you are making an argument about how a particular theme functions in The Handmaid’s Tale. Like any academic essay involving research, a Literary Argument is more credible when it includes secondary sources to deepen the exploration of the primary source, which in our case is The Handmaid’s Tale.
VIEW this video lecture for tips for working with sources in the Project 3 Essay: Synthesizing Sources
Most academic writing involving research is a practice in synthesizing sources, or putting our sources into conversation with one another, to explore a major claim. The Art of Source Synthesis is a skill developed in English 120. If you are not familiar with what it means to synthesize sources, please refer to this page.
Academic Language to Integrate and Synthesize Sources
Successful academic writing involves presenting both your sources’ ideas and your own ideas fairly and effectively to your readers. According to Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein in their book They Say / I Say, to do so, you should engage in “a conversation about ideas” in which you react critically to your sources (ix). Graff and Birkenstein’s templates may help you to have this conversation in a reader-friendly fashion, so that your thesis, supporting evidence, opposing evidence, and conclusion are clear. While you don’t want to adopt these templates mindlessly, the templates do provide sensible language for engaging in academic conversations, and we all benefit from adopting good language for our own purposes. For more information on academic writing templates, visit this page.
Consider the Relationship Between Your Secondary Sources and your Primary Source
As you work to synthesize your sources for Project 3, do your best to highlight the relationships between sources in very clear ways. Some important verbs to consider here are CLARIFY, ILLUSTRATE, EXTEND, and COMPLICATE.
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- Does Source B CLARIFY your analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale?
To clarify means to “shed light on” or “to illuminate.” - Does Source B ILLUSTRATE the claims made in Sources A ?
To illustrate means “to explain or make (something) clear by using vivid examples and/or images. - Does Source B EXTEND your analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale?
To extend means “to expand, enlarge, or increase” usually by bringing something new to the conversation. - Does Source C COMPLICATE your analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale?
To complicate means “to bring to the conversation information that makes the topic more nuanced and/or complex.” Oftentimes, “to complicate” means “to contradict” or “to disagree.”
- Does Source B CLARIFY your analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale?
Remember that our goal as writers is to draw conclusions from our sources.
We do not use sources to merely make our points for us. Rather, we use sources to support our own points. And, it is up to us to draw our own conclusions from the sources that we choose to use in our papers.
Anatomy of a Literary Argument Paragraph
Click on this Google docLinks to an external site. to see a breakdown of the paragraph below.
Anatomy of a Literary Argument Paragraph.pdf
7). Is the project mostly free of mechanical and grammatical errors that might interfere with an audience’s understanding?
15.2 Synthesizing Sources (READ/STUDY)
At this point, you have a topic (even a major claim) and a question of inquiry for Project 3. You have also started your investigation into credible and outstanding sources for Project 3. Soon, you will be ready to engage in the practice of synthesizing your sources or putting your sources into conversation with one another.
What is source synthesis?
When you look for areas where your sources agree or disagree and try to draw broader conclusions about your topic based on what your sources say, you are engaging in synthesis. Writing a research paper usually requires synthesizing the available sources in order to provide new insight or a different perspective into your particular topic (as opposed to simply restating what each individual source says about your research topic).
Note that synthesizing is not the same as summarizing.
- A summary restates the information in one or more sources without providing new insight or reaching new conclusions.
- A synthesis draws on multiple sources to reach a broader conclusion.
There are two types of syntheses: explanatory syntheses and argumentative syntheses. Explanatory syntheses seek to bring sources together to explain a perspective and the reasoning behind it. Argumentative syntheses — your focus for Project 3 — seek to bring sources together to make an argument. Both types of synthesis involve looking for relationships between sources and drawing conclusions.
In order to successfully synthesize your sources, you might begin by grouping your sources by topic and looking for connections. This is where a Source Synthesis Matrix
After you have a good idea of what your sources are saying, you want to construct your body paragraphs in a way that “puts your sources into conversation” with one another to support your thesis and to achieve your purpose for the essay.
Consider the Relationship Between Your Sources
As you work to synthesize your three sources for Project 3, do your best to highlight the relationships between sources in very clear ways. Some important verbs to consider here are CLARIFY, ILLUSTRATE, EXTEND, and COMPLICATE.
-
- Does Source B CLARIFY the claims made by Source A ?
To clarify means to “shed light on” or “to illuminate.” - Does Source C ILLUSTRATE the claims made in Sources A or B ?
To illustrate means “to explain or make (something) clear by using vivid examples and/or images.” - Does Source B EXTEND the claims made in Sources A or C ?
To extend means “to expand, enlarge, or increase” usually by bringing something new to the conversation. - Does Source C COMPLICATE the claims made by Sources and or B ?
To complicate means “to bring to the conversation information that makes the topic more nuanced and/or complex.” Oftentimes, “to complicate” means “to contradict” or “to disagree.”
- Does Source B CLARIFY the claims made by Source A ?
Remember that our goal as writers is to draw conclusions from our sources.
We do not use sources to merely make our points for us. Rather, we use sources to support our own points. And, it is up to us to draw our own conclusions from the sources that we choose to use in our papers.
Source Synthesis Matrix Example for a Research Essay
ActionsMinimize File Preview Source Synthesis Matrix Example for our Project 3 Essay on The Handmaid’s Tale
I put two examples
my major calim/thesis In The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilead’s use of constant surveillance enforces control and fear, showing how unchecked power can strip individuals of freedom and autonomy.”
Before uploading your paper, however, review each of the following:
- Make sure you have followed the directions and guidelines for Project 3
- Review the grading rubric on which your paper will be evaluated. See below.
- If you submitted your draft for my review, please see my feedback and make your revisions accordingly.
If you have any questions, ask them before the deadline so that I can provide you with the support you need.
Rubric
Literary Argument RubricLiterary Argument RubricCriteriaRatingsPtsThis criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroductionEffectively introduce the subject matter;5 ptsExcellentThe writer effectively introduces the subject matter; provides appropriate context and background information to lead their reader gently to their thesis.2.5 ptsAlmost thereThe writer could work further on effectively introducing the topic and/or providing more context and background to set up the thesis.0 ptsMissingThe writer does not include an introduction5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThesis StatementInclude a powerful thesis statement that states your major claim and sets up the structure of your essay (bold this claim in the essay you submit).5 ptsExcellentThe thesis statement is powerful, debatable, and includes both the topic and major claim of the essay. The thesis statement also sets up some structure for the essay.2.5 ptsAlmost thereThe thesis statement could present a more focused major claim and/or better set up the structure of the essay.0 ptsMissingThe writer does not include a thesis statement.5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeBody ParagraphsBody paragraphs establish clear points to support the thesis statement. These points establish the literary analysis and the societal evaluation.
Textual evidence from The Handmaid’s Tale plus three credible outside sources is effectively contextualized, integrated, and synthesized.50 ptsExcellentBody paragraphs establish clear points to support the thesis statement. To support these points, the writer effectively integrates quoted and/or paraphrased textual evidence from the sources. The writer provide the appropriate context for textual evidence. The writer provides insightful explanations and analysis of textual evidence to support the thesis statement.40 ptsAlmost thereThe body paragraphs need just a little further development — the inclusion of textual evidence and explanation analysis — to support the thesis statement.25 ptsNeeds ImprovementThe body paragraphs are lacking in development. The writer did not include the required number of sources. Substantial revision needs to occur to successful support the thesis statement.0 ptsMissingBody paragraphs do not include textual evidence to support the thesis statement.50 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOrganization and StructureThe logical development of ideas through textual evidence and a logical essay structure.15 ptsFull MarksThe writer effectively develops logos through evidence that logically supports the claims and an organized essay structure.10 ptsAlmost thereThe writer needs to work further on logically developing their ideas.3.5 ptsMissingMuch improvement is needed to more logically structure the essay.15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMLA Style and DocumentationThe use of MLA Style to format the paper.10 ptsFull MarksThe writer effectively uses MLA style to format the essay and cite their sources.5 ptsAlmost thereThe writer could work further on MLA documentation of sources and/or needs a Works Cited page.0 ptsMissingThe writer does not cite their sources or include a Works Cited page.10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConclusionThe conclusion brings the essay to a close.5 ptsExcellentThe conclusion effectively summarizes the major claim of the essay and discusses the greater significance of the topic.2.5 ptsAlmost thereThe conclusion could more effectively conclude the essay. See the description for the excellent conclusion.0 ptsMissingThe writer does not conclude the essay.5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeGrammar and Sentence Structure10 ptsExcellentThe essay is relatively free of grammatical errors.7 ptsAlmost thereSome grammatical errors are distracting. Further proofreading needs to occur.5 ptsNeeds ImprovementSeveral grammatical errors affect the writer’s ability to community their ideas.10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome22FA-ENGL 124-3Locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from sources representing diverse perspectives in order to construct arguments.threshold: 2.0 pts3 ptsExceeds Standard2 ptsMeets Standard1 ptsDoes Not Meet Standard–Total Points: 100PreviousNext