HIST 2111 Stowe Paper Assignment

HIST 2111 Stowe Paper Assignment

Paper HIST 2111 Paper Length: 3-4 pages

Write a paper answering the questions in one of the following topics below. You must choose one of the specific topics listed below and answer the respective questions using examples from Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Choose ONE of the following topics:

1. Essay Topic #1: Representations of Christianity in Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Throughout Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, there are many allusions to religion, specifically, Christianity. How would the inclusion of Christianity have affected the audience that Harriet Beecher Stowe was writing for? In what other ways does Stowe portray slavery and Christianity as incompatible?

2. Essay Topic #2: The Presence of Evil in Uncle Tom’s Cabin

As each subsequent chapter unfolds, slavery is portrayed as progressively evil. The dissolution of the family when Shelby’s wife decides to sell them after Shelby’s death is only the first evil that occurs. The horrors that follow that decision only cement the readers’ view of slavery as an abomination. Dig deep into the book and find a few metaphors and descriptions that portray slavery as the evil it is, and discuss the importance of these less obvious allusions to evil.

3. Essay Topic #3: Mrs. Shelby and Marie St. Clare in Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Mrs. Shelby and Marie St. Clare have a lot in common, on the surface, in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Both Shelby and St. Clare are slave owners, and both own Tom at one point in his life or another. What do you suppose has created this difference in the women? Is it their relative difference in faith? Or is something larger at work here? What can be gleaned from the story by juxtaposing these two different women?

HIST 2111 Stowe Paper Assignment

Evaluation:
You will be graded on:

Organization- Does the paper have an introduction, body, and conclusion? Does the paper have a central argument (thesis) that appears in the introduction and conclusion?

Grammar, punctuation, and style- For example, does the writer use the past tense consistently? See “additional considerations” below.

Use of the text- Does the paper successfully incorporate specific examples from the book? Do the examples support the paper’s thesis? Since this is still a relatively short paper, avoid long block quotes. Be succinct. In addition, avoid long summaries of the book. Your paper should be built around examples that support your thesis.

You must, however, cite the books to support your claims. In each instance that you draw specific information from the book, you should insert the page number from which the idea or quote originated at the end of the sentence.

Plagiarism:

See description on syllabus
Format:
All papers should be double spaced and written in Times New Roman 12

Late Papers: Papers are due in class on the given due date. Computer related problems are not an excuse. Be prepared for a hard drive/ printer disaster. Back up your work often. Papers turned in after class on the due date (unexcused) will be docked 8 points (out of 100). Papers will be docked 6 points for every day they are late with the weekend counting as 1 day. Do not put the paper in the tray on my office door. Do not shove the paper under my office door. If late, email me the paper.

Additional considerations:
1. Use the past tense consistently when discussing historical events.

2. Do not use first or second person in your paper. In other words, don’t use the pronouns: I, me, my, you, your, our, ours, us, etc. So, instead of: “I think Tom considered himself to be…” Just write, “Tom considered himself to be….”

4. Proof-read carefully. Even if your paper has no misspellings, that does not satisfy your need to proof- read. Spell checker will occasionally correct your spelling, but insert a different word than you intended.

5. Do not use contractions. (didn’t should be did not, etc).
6. Your paper should adopt a more formal, authoritative tone. Do not use slang, clichés, or profanity.
7. Use active, not passive voice.
8. Staple the paper
9. Do not use outside sources (internet, etc.)…Wikipedia is not always the best place to get information.