English Essay.

Overview It’s easy to consider song lyrics to be well outside the boundaries in which poetry normally resides. Though lyrics generally rhyme, the seemingly simple ideas in popular music often do not engage with a more academically-inclined audience, and as such are generally considered to be “less-than” literary. However, in 2016 Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature for the body of lyrical work he’s produced. Essentially, the most discerning award panel on the planet considers Dylan’s lyrics to be the pinnacle of literary art—opening the door to all kinds of literary conversation surrounding song lyrics. Your task for this essay is to engage in that conversation. You will dissect 3 to 4 songs by the artist of your choosing, identifying literary devices, themes, social and political content, emotional appeal, and any other element you can identify as integral to the central ideas of the songs. You’ll focus on the lyrics alone for this assignment, treating them as you would poetry and engaging in deep, objective literary analysis. Then, you’ll write an essay synthesizing those disparate ideas into a clear overall message. The ultimate question is this: how do the thematic messages in your chosen songs reflect or impact society? Things to Consider What do the lyrics say about people, society, or the world? Do the lyrics promote, rely on, or highlight stereotypes, negative portrayals of groups of people, or problematic relationships? How do they lyrics you’ve analyzed work together the create a unifying theme? How does that theme change our perspective of the world or our behavior? How could the lyrics and thematic messages affect the music’s target audience? Minimum Requirements (These requirements must be met in order for the essay to be eligible for a grade.) 3.5-4 typed pages, formatted according to MLA Documentation Guidelines. A Works Cited page listing cited sources, which does not contribute to the minimum page length. Clear attention to the RHETORICAL SITUATION in which the assignment exists: Purpose, Audience, Stance, Genre, Medium, and Design. Purposeful, thesis-driven organization in which details and explanation support MINOR CLAIMS in service of the essay’s MAJOR CLAIM. Full preparation for and participation in workshop sessions. This means full, productive participation in the workshop activities, with a fully-completed draft representing your absolute best work, in class on workshop days. Your own, original work created specifically by you for this particular assignment. The Turnitin tool will be active, and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action outlined by San Jacinto College’s Academic Honesty policy. Submitted to Blackboard before the submission deadline. Late work will not be accepted. Learning Outcomes Addressed Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution. Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose. Use Edited American English in Academic Essays