Tensions are often found within texts when we examine the binary oppositions at work within them. Examine one binary opposition within The House of the Spirits and explain the nature of the opposition–what caused it? why does it exist? does it ever achieve resolution?–and also discuss how that tension helps to explain or inform our understanding of the text as a whole. For this topic, you may want to look at two characters as binary opposites of one another, but you might also consider two locations or two ideals at work within the text. There are any number of ways you might think of binary opposition in this text, but be sure you are focusing on specific binaries that are at work in the story; therefore, avoid general binaries (good/evil, love/hate, etc.). Instead, focus on specific characters, entities, or ideals within the text. Be sure you have adequate source material (quotes, etc.) from the book itself to support your position. This essay needs to be argumentative, so your thesis and overall essay must communicate a purpose that explains why this binary opposition is relevant to the novel and to your audience. Content Issues: Your essay will compare and contrast your binary oppositions, but it will also have an argumentative component built into the thesis that you’ll work to prove in your body pargaraphs. This means there needs to be a purpose for why you are comparing/contrasting the elements you’ve selected, and that purpose is made apparent in the thesis. Your topic sentences (and paragraphs) will need to be constructed to support this position. The only source allowed for this assignment is the novel itself, The House of the Spirits. No other sources should be used. The use of any outside sources not provided in the course materials will result in significant penalties and most likely failure of the assignment. To support your thesis (prove/support your overall purpose), you will need to rely on your close-reading of the text we’ve covered and pull key quotes and paraphrases from it to substantiate/support any claims you’re making. Quotes and paraphrases from the texts are required to prove your points, so be sure you have supporting information built into each body paragraph. The essay should be written in a 12-point basic font (Calibri, Times Roman, Garamond, etc.). No cursives or fancy fonts. No cover pages. Refer to the essay formatting presentation (posted in the Student Guide refresher materials) for instructions on how to format your essay for submission. All essays must be double spaced. Your essay should have a creative title (not: Midterm Essay). An untitled essay is like having a child with no name.
