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Writing 139W James Funk
Essay 2: Research-Based Argument
In your first paper you brought Shakespeare’s Richard II into conversation with Puttenham’s The Art of English Poesy in order to make an argument about the relationship between language and politics in the early modern period. Both of these texts are considered “primary,” meaning that they were produced during the historical era under consideration, in this case sixteenth century England. While preparing for Essay 1, however, we read several articles or book chapters that are considered “secondary sources,” which provide historical/rhetorical/literary analyses of primary texts. I assigned these secondary sources not only so you could observe excellent models of close reading, but also to give you a sense of what reputable critics in the field of early modern studies have argued about our course readings. These scholars—particularly Cavanagh, Kastan, and Andrea—go to great lengths to situate themselves in the critical conversation about the text(s) they are analyzing, agreeing or disagreeing with the claims other scholars have made in order to demonstrate why their own arguments are significant and new. An effective analysis therefore requires not only a close reading of primary sources but the careful consideration of what others have said about these texts.
Your goal in Essay 2 is to provide an analysis modeled on the scholarship we’ve read thus far; that is, you will both close read primary sources and position yourself in the critical conversation surrounding these texts. But whereas scholars like Cavanagh and Andrea focus exclusively on early modern writing, here you will be making an argument about how one of our course readings (Shakespeare, Puttenham, or Jonson) sheds light on a contemporary text. You can therefore think of this essay as a comparative analysis: not only will you be comparing an early modern text to a contemporary one, but you will be considering the ways in which differing social/historical/cultural contexts shape the political assumptions and rhetorical strategies of a given author. Your thesis will highlight the differences and/or similarities between the texts and explain how their relationship helps us to better understand them and the societies in which they were produced.
Given the vast cultural and political differences between early modern England and the contemporary United States, such a relationship might at first glance seem farfetched. After all, we live in a representative democracy, not a monarchy. While you might argue in your essay that early modern ideologies differ fundamentally from present day political discourse, you should keep in mind that many of our assumptions (accurate or not) about politics—the old truism that “all politicians lie,” for example—resonate with early modern anxieties about deceptive language and appearance, and that politicians continue to depend on rhetorically charged spectacles not unlike King James’s masques in order to appeal to voters or assert authority. Furthermore, the early modern texts we’ve read this quarter address issues involving gender, race, and the relationship between government and religion that persist to this day.
Prompts
Select one of the prompts from the list below as a point of departure for your paper. Like Essay 2
1, you are welcome to create your own prompt, but you must clear it with me before you submit the rough draft. NOTE: While you can use Shakespeare or Puttenham in this paper, you cannot write about the same passages you analyzed in Essay 1.
1. The Politics of Spectacle. Ben Jonson’s masques asserted James’s political power by staging visually and verbally complex allegories of kingship that often ignored social reality in favor of idealization. While they don’t use masques, politicians today frequently employ spectacle (through campaign rallies, major speeches, etc.) to persuade voters or to display power. Pick a specific contemporary political spectacle and compare/contrast its visual and verbal rhetoric to Jonson’s Masque of Blackness: how do visual elements enhance a political message? In what ways can they mislead people? 2. Rhetoric and Deception. Both Puttenham and Shakespeare explore the ways in which courtiers manipulate language in order to advance politically. Politicians today do the same thing, repeating specific words, phrases, or figures (“states’ rights,” for example) that convey a deeper, sometimes insidious meaning. Find a speech from a contemporary politician that engages in such rhetoric and use Puttenham or Shakespeare to analyze its strategies. 3. Constructions of Race. According to Bernadette Andrea, The Masque of Blackness offers an ambivalent examination of racial identity that engages with sixteenth century discourses on blackness. Although Jonson’s representation of racial identity might seem alienating to us (and even downright offensive), issues involving race—Obama’s presidency, Black Lives Matter, mass incarceration, etc.—remain significant in contemporary society. Compare/contrast Jonson’s depiction of race to the representation of race in a contemporary text: in what ways do assumptions about race change depending on the social/historical context? Have any of the assumptions remained the same? 4. Constructions of Gender. Andrea also explores the ways in which Queen Anne challenges patriarchal expectations of women in The Masque of Blackness. Compare that text’s—and that period’s—representation of gender to our own gender assumptions. Hillary Clinton’s modes of self-presentation and the public reaction to them (not only during this election but also during her time as First Lady) might offer an interesting focus for the paper. 5. Us vs. Them. As we have discussed in class, The Masque of Blackness depends on binary oppositions (black/white, East/West, Africa/England, etc.) in order to depict Great Britain as a colonial power. Not only does this oppositional thinking persist today, but we find it across the political spectrum, from Bernie Sanders’s condemnation of an economic system that favors the top 1% (as opposed to the rest of America) to Donald Trump’s criticism of immigration, which creates an opposition between undocumented workers and American citizens. Analyze the power of this “Us vs. Them” mentality by comparing the representational strategies of Jonson’s masque to those of a contemporary text. Keep in mind that binary oppositions not only exclude a particular group (“them”) but also help to constitute or define the in-group. 6. Religion and Politics. Compared to sixteenth and seventeenth century England, where monarchs ruled by Divine Right, we live in a decidedly secular society. Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, though, our presidential candidates are expected to be religious, and political issues involving religious freedom are still relevant. Consider the role of religion in the political sphere by comparing Richard II or The Art of English Poesy to a specific contemporary text or issue, paying particular attention to why politicians so often assert a connection between God and government. 3
NOTE: A “text” can refer not only to a written document (speech, book, etc.) but to a wide variety of genres, from movies to television shows to websites. Keep this broad definition in mind as you decide what kind of contemporary text you’ll analyze.
Annotated Bibliography
In addition to your primary sources (one early modern text and one contemporary text), you will need to incorporate 10-15 secondary sources into your paper. You must find at least seven of these on your own. While we have read five secondary sources in the class, you should only use these if they’re relevant to your project: it wouldn’t make much sense to address Andrea’s article on The Masque of Blackness if you’re writing about Richard II, after all. At least five of your secondary sources should be scholarly, coming either from academic journals (to which you have access through the UCI library databases) or books from university presses. While you might use some non-scholarly sources in order to discuss contemporary issues, you should still take them from credible publications (The New York Times, The Atlantic, etc.) rather than random websites. We will talk much more about locating and evaluating secondary sources in class, and Chapter 4 of the AGWR—available on the course website—is an excellent resource to consult.
Keep in mind that you should find secondary sources related to both texts; you want to demonstrate your understanding of the scholarly/critical discourse surrounding each era, and you want to be able to show how your analysis relates to that discourse. (You may not be able to find a secondary source that directly addresses the specific contemporary text you’re discussing, especially if it’s a speech or a political spectacle, but you will be able to find articles that enhance your understanding of it.) Also keep in mind that sources serve different purposes. You might use some just for historical background and others to back up your claims about a literary text; you might mention some of your sources only briefly in your paper, while others will require a more sustained discussion. Finally, it is essential to incorporate sources with which you disagree. As Andrea and Kastan demonstrate, often the best way to establish your argument is to show how it differs from other claims about the same topic or text.
As you find relevant secondary sources, you should annotate them following the guidelines established in the AGWR. In addition, you should include a sentence at the end of each annotation that makes it clear how you plan to incorporate that source into your essay.
Prospectus
Along with the annotated bibliography, you will submit a 2-3 page prospectus for your essay. This document should include an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement, a description of how you will organize the paper, and a discussion of how you’re intervening in the critical conversation about the texts/issues under consideration. The annotated bibliography and prospectus will be due at the start of class on Wednesday, May 18.
Presentation
In Week 10 each of you will give a three-minute Prezi/PowerPoint presentation on your essay in progress, followed by one minute of questions from the class. Each of you will be expected to 4 ask at least one question during the presentation days. I will grade these presentations based on their clarity, conciseness, and organization.
Technicalities
1. The length of this paper is 8-10 pages, which means that it should end somewhere on the ninth or tenth page (not including the Works Cited page). 2. Papers should have 1” margins, double-spacing, 12-pt Times New Roman font, and page numbers. Use MLA citation format. 3. The paper should have multiple well-defined paragraphs with clear transitions and topic sentences. The introduction should be concise and thesis-driven and the conclusion should avoid repetition. 4. A rough draft of this paper will be due at the start of class on Monday, May 25 in both hard copy (for peer review) and electronic form (on turnitin.com as a .doc or .docx file). 5. The final draft will be due to turnitin.com on Monday, June 6 by 11:59 pm.