Typical American

Assignment: Write a literary essay (1,000-1,200 words) based on Typical American by Gish Jen. You will need to develop a specific working thesis based on the direction in bold (below). PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC THESIS THAT IT RELATES TO THIS TOPIC.

PLEASE DO NOT USE OUTSIDE RESEARCH FOR THIS PAPER. I WANT YOUR IDEAS SUPPORTED WITH QUOTES FROM THE NOVEL.

Compare and contrast two characters in Typical American. Develop an argument thesis that states how they are alike and different and how this compare/contrast relates to the idea of “Typical American” and/or assimilating to a new culture. Use either a block or point-by-point format (we will go over this).
For example, I might compare and contrast Ralph and Grover. Though they are different on many levels, I want to draw a conclusion that shows the two characters are actually similar in a very important way. I might use:  In the novel Typical American by Gish Jen, the author uses the characters of Ralph and Grover to show that even though they have different backgrounds (one an academic, the other a business man), they both succumb to greed in pursuit of the American Dream.

TIPS:

– Read the handout/links about writing literature papers

– Have a specific working thesis before you begin writing and utilize pre-writing techniques

– Write as if the reader of your paper already knows the plot of the story/stories you are writing about. Avoid plot summaries and focus on your ideas/analysis

– Underline the title of the novel

– Use quotations/passages from the stories to prove your points. Be sure and list the page number in parenthesis after your quote. If you are quoting text that is more than three lines, use MLA block style.

– Use present tense when describing story events