english essay 3-5 pages " passage explication"

Over the past few weeks, we have been reading and discussing Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick, examining and discussing the various themes that run throughout the story. We’ve also used the novel to learn how to explicate a literary text, taking short passages from the work and looking at how specific words, phrases, etc. point toward larger issues and themes in the story. Now that we are nearing the end of the book, your first essay assignment of this course will allow you to build upon the short explications you have performed thus far in order to look at the text as a whole in an explication essay. An explication is a detailed analysis; to explicate means to give a detailed explanation of; to develop the implications of; to analyze logically. The word “explication” comes from the Latin term explicare, which means “to unfold”; accordingly, an explication unfolds or unpacks the meaning and workings of a literary text. Explications typically examine a text intensively, line by line, so they are usually used to interpret either short poems or short passages from longer works of fiction or drama. An explication of a literary passage examines the meaning of individual sentences or words, explaining how they relate to each other and to the overall meaning and/or effect of the work of literature. For your first essay, you will you will compose a 3-5 page (double-spaced) essay on the topic below. You should first begin by forming a thesis that answers the prompt question: what are the underlying values presented in Ragged Dick and how do they come together to present a definition of the American Dream in the late 1800s? Then, look for passages in Ragged Dick that you will use as evidence to support your thesis. These passages can be as short as a sentence or as long as several paragraphs of conversation between characters. You will then use these passages to construct an argument that defines the American Dream as presented in Alger’s novel. The essay should start with an introduction that defines your understanding of the Ragged Dick American Dream. From there, your body paragraphs will lay out the points of your thesis, using appropriate passages to back your ideas and offering up a close reading (i.e. explication) of each. Topic: While many view Horatio Alger’s writing of Ragged Dick as having the purpose of serving as a lifestyle handbook for the poor street boys of New York (and those in other parts of America), he also presents for modern day readers a laundry list of values that underscore the American Essay 1: Passage explication 3-5 pages Dream of his time. Using passages from the story, determine the values that allow Dick Hunter, formerly a homeless boot-black, to become a respectable, upwardly-mobile young esquire. Then, piece them together to form a larger argument defining the American dream à la Ragged Dick. You might consider that the novel doesn’t necessarily provide a brand-new definition of the American Dream (the idea, though not explicitly named, existed at least a hundred years before Alger wrote his novel) but rather that Ragged Dick may be viewed as a social critique, commenting on and/or correcting flaws and problems within the American value system of the late 1800s. Keep in mind our discussion of the various themes in the novel: appearance vs. reality, the Protestant work ethic, and the coming-of-age story. Each of these themes (along with any others you may discover in your own reading of the text) can help you to frame your American Dream “argument.” A successful essay will (see essay rubric for more detailed requirements): • Demonstrate basic comprehension of Ragged Dick. • Provide a thought-out interpretation of the story by • Making a claim that presents a clear definition of the American Dream as illustrated in Ragged Dick. • Supporting the claim using relevant and appropriate textual evidence from Ragged Dick. • Analyzing aspects of the text in terms of mood/tone, character motivation, diction, etc. • Explaining the significance of the chosen evidence to the text (and your argument) as a whole. • Have a creative and informative title (no “Essay #1” or “Ragged Dick essay” please). • Demonstrate aspects of good writing—structure (introduction, body, conclusion), organization, correct punctuation and grammar, etc.