ENG 215: Essay #2 - DUE Sunday, March 15 - "The Monster" and "The Wife of His Youth"

The assignment is due by 11:30 pm on Sunday, March 15, VIA EMAIL.The assignment is to write an essay (of 3-4 pages with additional Works Cited page attached). Late papers—those submitted with a Monday, 3/16 OR LATER time stamp—will receive 2 permanent points off for lateness. Thus, do not wait until the last minute—that is when computer issues, Internet problems, etc., arise--it is your responsibility to have your work in on time.  No “late” papers will be accepted after Thursday, March 19.You will be given a week from the time your paper is returned to you to revise, if necessary. Otherwise, the original grade stands.

As we read, New Jersey native Stephen Crane’s 1898 novella, “The Monster,” (first published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine) relates the story of a black servant, Henry Johnson, who rescues the son of his employer, a white doctor, from a terrible fire. Henry is disfigured in the process and is, at first, regarded as a hero by the community. However, due to his disfigurement—he is literally without a face—his persistent presence in the community is viewed as a disruptive element and he becomes a pariah. 

We also read Charles W. Chesnutt’s short story, “The Wife of His Youth,” which is also set in a Northern city at the end of the 19^th century and which examines a group of individuals of African American ancestry, known as the “Blue Veins.” The very existence of the “Blue Veins” speaks to the ambiguity of racial identity and ambivalence about the future of American life at the dawning of the 20^th century. W.E.B. DuBois famously prophesied in his 1903 masterwork, The Souls of Black Folk, that “…the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.” 

Choose ONE question from either one of these stories and write an essay in response. You must include RELEVANT quotes from the primary text and from at least TWO CRITICAL SOURCES in this second essay. I have posted links to each primary source text below for easy on-line searching. In addition, I have provided links to several critical essays (secondary source texts) on each story—SEE BELOW. Again, you must include relevant quotes in your essay from the primary text and the two secondary sources to have the opportunity to earn full credit.

1)   Dr. Trescott’s insistence on caring for Henry despite the social ostracism from the white community asks the reader to consider the idea of “sympathy” and “debt” in “The Monster.” Does Dr. Trescott act out of natural sympathy for Henry, out of conscience (because he feels he “owes” Henry), out of a sense of professional ethics as a doctor, or some combination of the three? You must support your analysis with quotes from at least TWO critical essays. Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation.

2)   In the critical essay by Jonathan Tadashi Naito, “Cruel and Unusual Light: Electricity and Effacement in Stephen Crane’s The Monster,” Naito examines the role of electricity and modernity in the novella, suggesting that there were both positive and negative consequences for Whilomville and its inhabitants (and especially Henry).  With this in mind, examine whether Crane is expressing anxiety about modernity as it pertains to black/white relations in the fin de siècle and whether he might be suggesting that African American concerns will be eventually disfigured and ignored by the larger white society? You must support your analysis with quotes from at least TWO critical essays. Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation.

3)   Describe the differences between the physical and psychological alienation Henry experienced at difference points in “The Monster.”  At what points can his isolation be viewed as more psychological than physical? Why? You must support your analysis with quotes from at least TWO critical essays. Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation.

4)   As we discussed, the concluding scene in “The Monster” offers no easy closure, and ends with Dr. Trescott counting the teacups, Explain the meaning of this ending, relating it to other points in the story, and be specific in your references. You must support your analysis with quotes from at least TWO critical essays. Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation.

5)   In the final scene of Charles Chesnutt’s “The Wife of His Youth,” wherein Mr. Ryder finishes relating his hypothetical case, he asks his guests, the “Blue-Veins,” what the hypothetical protagonist should have done. Mrs. Dixon and all of the other guests, reply: “He should have acknowledged her.” Mr. Ryder responds: “It is the answer I expected, for I knew your hearts.” Analyze the meaning at the heart of this final scene, and especially to Mr. Ryder’s last lines. You must support your analysis with quotes from at least TWO critical essays. Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation.

The Monster, Stephen Crane

"How It Feels to be Without a Face: Race and the Reorientation of Sympathy in the 1890s"

"Cruel and Unusual Light: Electricity and Effacement in Stephen Crane's The Monster"

"Crane's 'The Monster' Seen in the Light of Robert Lewis's Lynching"

"Face, Race, and Disfiguration in Stephen Crane's 'The Monster'"

"Value, Agency, and Stephen Crane's 'The Monster'"

Era of Casual Fridays - "The Monster"

The Wife of His Youth, Charles W. Chesnutt

"Scriptural Allusion and Metaphorical Marriage in Charles Chesnutt's 'The Wife of His Youth'" 

"The Cultural Logic of Color: Strategies of Recognition in Charles W. Chesnutt's The Wife of His Youth"

"Telling Genealogy: Notions of the Family in The Wife of His Youth"

"Charles Chesnutt's The Wife of His Youth: The Unveiling of the Black Storyteller"

"Wedded to Race: Charles Chesnutt's Stories of the Color Line"

Era of Casual Fridays - “The Wife of His Youth”

A NOTE ON PLAGIARISM 

YOU MAY NOT USE the following as sources, as they are NOT considered scholarly works: SparkNotes, CliffsNotes, ClassicNotes, Enotes, GradeSaver, Wikipedia, or any other student guides. Plagiarism results in an "F" on the paper with NO POSSIBILITY of revision or “extra credit” make-up work. If you plagiarize, you have automatically lost the ability to earn any grade higher than a “B” grade for the course. If you plagiarize a second time, YOU AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE. There are NO exceptions to the plagiarism policy. Copying and pasting from sources without acknowledging them is plagiarism. Use of ANY uncredited source constitutes plagiarism. It is your responsibility to your submit original work. VALE contains a number of excellent databases through which you can find good literature resources (ProQuest, Literature Resource Center, etc.). The criteria for grading is below.

Criteria for Grading for Essay #2

In your essay, you must include support for your response from whichever primary text you have chosen, as well as from at least two critical essays (secondary sources). Cite specifically to the source, using standard MLA-style documentation, including a Works Cited Page. The expectation is that you will write grammatically correct and coherent sentences, following standard composition form. 

Again, your short essays are evaluated using the following criteria: you have answered the question asked—meaning, you have written a clear thesis statement with supporting points and you have answered the question completely); you have cited adequately from the source reading as well as two secondary sources (critical essays) using MLA style; and, you have demonstrated strength in your writing that is appropriate to a 200-level literature course (well-structured sentences and paragraphs, proper spelling, grammar, no run-on sentences or sentence fragments, proper punctuation, use of transitions, logical conclusion). 

If you receive “NG”—meaning “Not Gradable”—due to numerous composition errors (ex: poor grammar, misspellings, lack of thesis, poor sentence structure, not MLA-compliant, etc.), you are strongly advised to take your paper to The Learning Center (2nd Floor) to work with a tutor for assistance in revising the essay for resubmission. VALE contains a number of excellent databases through which you can find good literature resources (ProQuest, Literature Resource Center, etc.). For this essay, I have provided you with a number of secondary sources—just click on the links.

You must write well if you are to receive a good grade in my course. I do not “curve” grades—also, I do not pass students whose writing does not show that they have properly met the standards of what I consider acceptable. The Learning Center is open every day and evening and is available to you. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your papers are proof-read before you hand them in. Below is how I break down the points:

Clear thesis statement, well-organized supporting points and conclusion: 5 points

Cited adequately and correctly from the texts (primary and secondary): 5 points

Demonstrated writing strength (sentence structure, spelling, grammar): 5 points