CLOSE READING

Close reading
For Monday November 23, you will write a short paper, approximately 3 to 4 pages in length (= 900 to 1200 words, where 1 page = 300 words). Your paper will be typed, double-spaced, and will have its pages numbered and stapled. Please do not play games with fonts and margins. That never works. You will turn it in electronically on Blackboard and in hard copy in class.

The paper will consist of a close reading (inspired by the exercise of explication de texte), as explained in class, of a passage of your choosing from a text or film studied in class. The passage should be 1-2 pages or 1-3 minutes in length. Pick a work that you particularly liked or would like to explore more. If you are unsure how to pick your passage, take a second look at the passages I proposed for the close reading of Houseboy in the first paper as examples of how to isolate a passage from the rest of the text.
Bâ, So Long a Letter OR, Sembène “The Money Order” (short story) either one of them will do the work.