Cultural essay

You may choose to write about either “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Chalotte Perkins Gilman or “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx. You absolutely MUST quote directly and paraphrase from the story in order to back up your assertions of the text. Points will be removed for failing to do this correctly. Please review the Purdue OWL’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide and don’t be afraid to ask questions prior to the due date! Once again, here are the Purdue OWL’s pages covering in-text citations: Basics & Quotations
You should consider this a research-based essay. If you’ve read all the lecture notes carefully, you’ll know that research is needed in order to adequately discuss both the historical and cultural context of either story. That means you’ll be required to submit a works cited page with this assignment. Feel free to use something like EasyBib or Son of Citation Machine to format your citations, and always check those citations against information provided at the Purdue OWL. Make sure your citations are formatted using MLA 8. The most visible difference between MLA 7 and MLA 8 is that MLA 7 includes the medium of publication, i.e., “Print”, “Web”, etc. If your citations include the medium of publication, you’ve definitely formatted them incorrectly.

You may need to look back at the lecture notes for each element of fiction, as well as the discussion board assignments in order to complete this essay. Pay close attention to the way you transition from one aspect of your discussion to the next. Consider that some elements of the story may overlap and make more sense when discussed together.

Your essay should include the following:

– A brief discussion of the movement of the plot and why it’s significant.

– A discussion of the story’s point-of-view. How does it contribute to the way in which the story is told and the reader’s experience with the story?

– A discussion of both main and secondary characters. Are they round or flat, static or dynamic? (Make sure your definitions for the aforementioned terms are clear.) Quote and paraphrase correctly from the story, explaining your assertions about characterization in detail. Direct quotes should not be included in the overall word count.

– When discussing the significance of the setting in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, talk about how the setting and use of language allow Gilman to better draw a picture of isolation and mental anguish. You may also choose to discuss what the physical aspects of the wallpaper suggest about the narrator’s marriage.

– For the setting of “Brokeback Mountain”, consider how Wyoming (a common setting for author Annie Proulx), as well as other places visited by the two main characters, often mirrors the characters’ emotions/feelings toward one another and their mutual despondency about their situation.

– Finally, think about the cultural context of the story you’ve chosen. Describe the society in which these characters live. How does their socialization, upbringing, and the expectations of those around them affect both their opportunities and behaviors? Consider how religion, gender roles, class, attitudes toward sex/marriage, wealth/poverty influence their behavior.

To analyze the cultural context of the story, you will be required to quote and paraphrase from research-based sources. These sources may be found in print or online. Cite these sources, as well as the story itself, on your works cited page. You should have at least three sources, not including your chosen story. That’s a total of 4 or more. You must credit these sources both within the text and on your works cited page.