Topic: Analysis of a Creative Non-Fiction Essay

• Format: You are required to use MLA style for all writing assignments. These assignments include the Summary Writing Assignment, the Focused Annotated Bibliography and the Final Researched Essay. Your instructor may also require MLA style for other essay assignments, including the midterm and final exams, and for discussion posts. Therefore, it is important that you understand how to use MLA style correctly. Please refer to the Purdue Online Writing Lab for MLA formatting and style guide

• Length Requirement: 750-1000 words
• All sources must be cited

Your Process:

After reading Gretel Ehrlich’s “About Men”(attached below) , write an essay that demonstrates how and why that particular non-fiction text utilizes one or two of the literary themes discussed in Unit 2. What is the author saying about it? Why do you think he or she is saying it in this way? What surprises us about the text’s depiction of the theme? Also, address how and why the fact that the text is non-fiction influences its impact relating to the theme.

Literary Themes:

• Love (Platonic, Romantic, or Filial)
• Alienation/Otherness
• The American Dream/Nightmare
• The Quest for Identity/Coming of Age
• Conformity/Rebellion

In addition to discussing at least one of these themes, feel free to also explore other noticed literary themes that are not included in Unit 2. Be sure to use specific examples, details, and quotes from the text (use the author’s name in parenthetical citation).

ESSAY TO READ

• Gretel Ehrlich’s “About Men” –http://www.foothillfalcons.org/ourpages/auto/2011/…

In order to start brainstorming for this essay, please see the following examples:

• Ehrlich and Conformity: The premise for Ehrlich’s “About Men” is that a real, successful cowboy is a careful balance between what we typically consider masculine, a silent observer, and feminine, a compassionate nurturer. How does the cowboy embody the theme of conformity and rebellion in Ehrlich’s “About Men”?
• Academic Honesty

Formatting and Style

Be sure to maintain an appropriate academic tone (no slang, second-person [“you,” “we”], contractions, etc.)

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins, and numbered pages. Include your name, my name, the title of the class, and the date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Center your title (you do not need to underline or italicize it) and place it above the body of the essay. Do not include a title page.