Paper 1

What follows is your prompt for Paper 1:

Read Plato's Allegory of the Cave.  After doing so, identify Louise's "cave" in The Story of an Hour.  Then, identify two other literary characters' caves.  (It is possible to draw from various stories; for instance, one could identify the caves of Bartleby, Goodman Brown, or Ichabod Crane.  Those characters can be found in Bartleby the Scrivener, Young Goodman Brown, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, respectively.)  In composing Paper 1, please read pg. 289-293, and please adhere to the format prescribed on pg. 187-188. 

In order to better understand the prompt, you must read Plato's Allegory of the Cave.  Then, you might first begin by identifying Louise's "cave" in The Story of an Hour (pg. 183-185).  (Louise's "cave" could be a variety of things, but it is probably something that she kept hidden from many people.  Or, it may have been something that others could see while Louise was, unfortunately, "in the dark."  Remember, a "cave" can be anything.  But based on Plato's Allegory of the Cave, it seems that a "cave" would be a place where a person resides.  More specifically, it is a place where a person believes that he sees the truth when, in fact, the truth consists of shadows--instead of reality.  Further, the person cannot look around in order to see anything else because his neck is chained, and he has been rendered immobile.  Thus, looking beyond Plato's allegory, a person's "cave" could be so many things:  a relationship, an insecurity, a personality trait, a job, an addiction, etc.)

Paper 1 will consist of only ONE paragraph.  It is, naturally, a well-developed paragraph, but it is one-paragraph nonetheless.  Simply follow the example found on pg. 289-293.  In doing so, please adopt the same format for your heading, for the page number in the upper-right corner, for the title, for the parenthetical referencing, and for the Works Cited page.  Further, while it may be difficult for some of you, please adhere to the Point/Example/Commentary format.  This format is an organizational strategy favored by many academic writers.  It should provide you with focus, organization, development, and logic.  You will be invited to experiment with this format in the future, but for Paper 1, please adhere to it with great precision.

Here's an example of how Paper 1 will likely be organized if you follow the prescribed format:

Topic Sentence: When examining three literary characters, it is possible to identify their caves.

Point: Louise, in "The Story of an Hour," has a cave, and it is her marriage.

Example: This can be supported when Kate Chopin writes:  "                 " (   ).

Commentary:  Based on this, Chopin is suggesting that . . . 

Commentary:  This further reinforces Louise's cave, for . . . 

Point:  Another literary character whose cave can be identified is Bartleby, from "Bartleby, the

Scrivener," and his cave is his . . . .

Example:  In fact, Herman Melville writes:  "                  " (   ).

Commentary:

Commentary:

Point: The third literary character whose cave can be identified is Ichabod Crane, from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and his cave is his . . . .

Example: Washington Irving states:  "                    " (   ).

Commentary:

Commentary:

Concluding Sentence:

When composing your concluding sentence, consider employing one of these three options:

1. Use a quotation.  For example, you might write: "An examination of these three literary characters' caves makes the following quotation by Mahatma Gandhi relevant: 'The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.'"

2. Ask a question.  For example, you might write: "An examination of these three literary characters' caves begs the question: Given all of the anguish it can cause, should we be encouraged to exit our caves?"

3. Compose a final, poignant observation.  For example, you might write: "Exiting a cave requires first becoming conscious of it; of course, many would not ever wish for such consciousness, for while the eventual destination might consist of wonder and light, the path requires great sacrifice and pain."

After ruminating on the prompt, and after reading what you're supposed to read, please email me if you still require clarification.

*Make sure to compose a Works Cited page for this assignment.  Check pg. 293.  Also, make sure to examine the Grammar Manual before composing your Works Cited page, making sure to note #13 on page 25, as the works in your textbook, i.e. "The Story of an Hour," "Bartleby the Scrivener," "Young Goodman Brown," will be considered "works" in an "anthology."