Select one of the critical readings from the course, either Cohen’s “The Inhuman Circuit” or one of the critical readings from earlier in the semester, and use the key idea of that essay to make an interpretive argument about an element of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The goal is to use a critical source to shape your interpretation of a component of the poem (limit your scope appropriately!) to persuade readers that your interpretation has merit.
An interpretive argument essay is a conventional academic essay. As such, the essay requires a thesis (or claim) about the relationships between the texts that is supported by evidence and justified by reasons or warrant. Evidence is drawn from the text via quotation (or, following the principles of the Art History and Film Analysis handout, descriptive evocation) and analyzed in depth. Make claims and draw evidence from the texts (critical and cinematic) to persuade readers to attend to a deeper, less obvious meaning behind a relationship that we would not otherwise perceive.
A standard conventional academic essay always includes these elements:
Introduction—give context for your argument and end with an argumentative thesis.
Claims—topic sentences will clearly advance the thesis and fully organize paragraphs they introduce.
Paragraphs—draw on specific textual support to back each claim, and use the claim-support-explanation model to organize each paragraph
Conclusion—discuss the implications of your argument (i.e. “so what?” or “what next?”)
Works Cited—cite each essay and poem you draw from in your works cited
Minimum 1000 words, , conforming to MLA Citation Style (Links to an external site.) (in text citation via parenthetical or signal phrase reference to sources listed in the List of Works Cited). This is a brief essay, so don’t bite off more than you can chew! Remember to proofread and edit your sentences, and organize your work. See the rubric for writing expectations.
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