Your short critical paper, approximately 1000-1500 words or four to six typewritten pages, will focus on Ursula Le Guin's "Sur." This paper is a critical analysis, an exploration of a central question or thesis, supported by examples from the text.  In your paper, explore one of the approaches to the story suggested below and develop this into a fully articulated thesis. You may combine up to two of these possible approaches to the story. If none of these topics appeal to you, you may email me to propose an alternate topic. Proposals for paper topics not included on the list below must be submitted by email no later than 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 October. Submit the paper in Blackboard in the Digital Drop Box by 11:00 p.m. on Monday, 10 October; please use these directions for submitting papers.

For this paper, we will not be doing research; do not look up criticism on the story or biographical information on Le Guin. You may use Le Guin's "Fisherwoman's Daughter" to support your argument if appropriate, but this paper should focus on presenting your own interpretation of "Sur." You should assume that the reader of the is paper will be your peers in this class, people already familiar with the basic plot of the story. Accordingly, while you will discuss specific moments in the text in great deal to support your point, at no time should you summarize the entire story. Your paper should make specific reference to the text, using a combination of direct quotation and paraphrase as evidence. Any time you use source material in this class--and that includes the story itself, not just secondary sources about the literature--you must correctly document these sources in MLA format.

Your paper will be evaluated primarily on three areas: first, that your paper has a clear argument and carries that argument throughout the paper effectively; second, the paper's organization; and third, the quality of supportive evidence that you use to back up your argument. Other factors may also influence your grade, including correct grammar and usage. For more information about paper grading, see Criteria for Evaluating Writing. In addition, please see Paper Guidelines for general instructions on papers, as well as an example of a correctly formatted paper . Finally, take a look at the short critical paper evaluation rubric , which I will use in grading your papers.

Keep in mind that a list of questions within a topic or an assignment is a suggested list to help you start writing, not an organizing structure for your paper.  You may use all or none of the questions in your final paper, but in any event the paper must be organized around its thesis, not a list of questions. In answering any of these questions, keep in mind the broader question: what does this story mean?

1. What relationship exists between the ideas Le Guin discusses about women writers in "The Fisherwoman's Daughter" and her short story, "Sur"? What does the text suggest to us about how we value women's contributions and experiences?  (Be careful not to get too broad here--you're writing about the story, not all humankind.)

2. Discuss the way "Sur" transforms the adventure narrative as we traditionally understand it. How does the history of male exploration and achievement influence the women as they make their own journeys?

3. How does Le Guin establish relationships between the community of women who travel south? How would you describe their friendships? Why are those relationships important, and how significant are they after the trip is over? How are these ties connected to or separate from the women's relationships with their families?

4. Discuss the significance of the setting in "Sur." How does the landscape of the Antarctic influence our perception of the women in the story? How about their naming of the landscape? 

5. In "Sur," Le Guin has written a story that we might easily interpret as presenting political messages about women's roles in our culture. In your paper, explore the political element of the narrative.

It is expected in this 400-level course that you understand how to write a formal literary analysis.  In other words, each paper written in this class should have a strong and argumentative thesis that presents an interpretation of the work, and that interpretation is supported by textual evidence.  In addition, all papers written in this class will use MLA format for citation and documentation; in other words, each time you use someone else's words or ideas, you must correctly use parenthetical citations and a works cited to reference that work, according to MLA guidelines. 

If you do not understand how to approach this writing assignment, or how to document sources correctly, please visit Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL), which has complete handouts on every part of the paper writing process, including documentation in MLA format. 

I am always happy to help you as you work on your papers in this class, and please do know that I would much rather read a rough draft and give you suggestions on it than see you turn in an incomplete or poorly conceived paper and receive a low grade on it.  If you have questions about the assignment, please feel free to call or email me about it, but also, be focused in your questions.  Don't email me just say, "I'm confused about the assignment," or "Please explain it again."  I will simply refer you back to the assignment instructions if you do.  Instead, try to ask concrete questions; for example, "If I write about x, does that address the assignment?" or "Can I discuss x aspect of this story?"  I will work with you at any stage of the writing process, but it is most often fruitful if we discuss a draft of your paper. 

I'll be glad to comment on a draft of your papers through email (just attach the file to the email, or you can cut and paste the text into the email message itself--please don't use the drop box for drafts). However, I'd ask that you not wait until the last minute if you would like me to offer suggestions on your draft; obviously I cannot read and respond to every student's paper the day before they're due.