For your final paper in this course, you will compose a 4-5 page essay in which

For your final paper in this course, you will compose a 4-5 page essay in which you present an argument about the short story “Eula” by Deesha Philyaw using one of the three theories discussed in this course (Marxism, Feminism, New Historicism).
The process:
The discussion post from this week is intended to start you thinking a specific lens which you would want to apply to Philyaw’s story and what you might want to argue using that lens.
Decide which parts of the story would be helpful as evidence for your argument using the lens you have chosen. Review the materials in that module to refresh your memory of how that theoretical approach works in building an analysis.
Your paper should include
An introduction where you introduce Philyaw’s story and present your argument and the lens you are using. Make sure you are making an argument about how to interpret the story – not simply observing something about the story. You should have a clear argument about the story’s effect based on your own ideas and the lens you have chosen.
A set of body paragraphs which extend your claim based on a reading of the story – at least one part of your analysis should be a close reading of a specific scene or moment from the story. If you have chosen New Historicism, you will probably introduce outside research but I recommend not bringing in more than two sources. No matter what approach you take all the evidence needs to support your arguments – make sure that paragraphs begin with your ideas and that outside sources are always supporting you and not standing in for you.
A conclusion where you talk about how your argument about the story reflects broader ideas about the themes raised.
The focus of your paper is to make an argument about “Eula.” You should not just summarize the story. Identifying plot or character elements that are reflecting your chosen lens is a great start – you want to go further and make an argument about what this means for our interpretation of the story.
Make sure you are appropriately quoting elements from the story – since the story is online you do not need to worry about page numbers, and you do not need a works cited. You do need to be sure you are clear about quotations or paraphrases of Philyaw’s words and ideas. There should be at least one close reading section which will include quotations. If you have chosen to do New Historicism, you will need a works cited page with full MLA citations for your outside sources.
Your essay should be formatted as follows: 12 point, Times New Roman, double spaced with one-inch margins. Your name, the date, the course name, and a title should appear on the first page. You do not need a separate title page.