HUM 112 Project Prompt

The aim of this essay is to develop your critical thinking and argumentation skills, as well as to
begin using and citing professional resources.

Length: Roughly 1,250 words

Deadline: Friday, April 13, 11:59PM. Submit your work by email, either to
rachel.bruzzone@bilkent.edu.tr or to rachelbruzzone@gmail.com. Keep a copy in your sent-mail
folder.

Grading: 20% of your final grade.

Bibliography: For this paper, please cite at least two academic sources, whether books or journal
articles. These sources might support your argument, or they may say something that you
disagree with. You will need a bibliography to indicate which sources you have used. A
suggested style guide is available on Dropbox, but you may use any widely-accepted style for
citation that you like.

Prompt:
The early 1600s were a time when the world was changing rapidly and new, bold and creative
styles of thinking were coming into vogue. This historical movement shows itself in both
Macbeth and Don Quixote in the form of an overwhelming concern with the role of imagination
in human life. Illusion, realism and fantasy are key issues in both works. Both Macbeth and Don
Quixote also have a somehow “quixotic” outlook: they are characters with overwhelming desires
to play a certain role or impose a certain structure on the world, and they are both driven by vivid
fantasies.

For this paper, compare the role of imagination in these two works. On the most basic level,
consider whether Shakespeare and Cervantes represent imagination as a “positive” or a
“negative” characteristic for a person to possess. You might consider how having a vivid
imagination changes how a character interacts with others: do these authors present it as
something that helps to build bridges with others, or one that alienates them? (Or, is the issue
more nuanced than that? Or, do they offer two different views on the role of imagination in
relationships?) Next, it might help to analyze these texts according to situational categories.
Some that you might want to consider: Macbeth is a poetic figure who arguably goes mad, while
Don Quixote is literally driven mad by books. What is the role of the literary or poetic
imagination in both works? Or, both texts also explore questions of criminality, especially in the
context of madness: should we see Macbeth and Don Quixote pathetic victims of their
imaginations, namely madmen, or lawbreakers? (Or something in between?) On the other side of
the coin, how are characters who represent a more logical approach to life, such as young
MacDuff, portrayed? The authors of the works are also markedly present in both texts, first in the
overlap between Macbeth, as an imaginative and poetic person, and his creator, Shakespeare, and
second in Cervantes’ elaborate presentation of his reconstruction of a “historical” text (which is
in fact entirely invented). Are we supposed to see these texts as a self-critique of the imaginative
work of writing?
There are no “right” answers in an essay of this sort. You may conclude that the two authors
represent imagination similarly, or you may conclude that they differ from one another. You may
decide to look at only one of the suggestions made above, a handful of them, or you may ignore
those suggestions and follow your own interests. The key to this essay is the strength of your
usage of evidence and analysis (which we will discuss further in class), not the specific
conclusions you come to.

The “Good Paper Checklist”

Please make sure that your paper fits the following criteria.

1. Do you have a thesis statement? This is an argumentative sentence, usually the last sentence
of your introductory paragraph.
A. This sentence sets out your plan for the whole paper. It tells the reader what you
intend to prove. No part of the paper should be irrelevant to the thesis statement.
B. A good thesis statement is somewhere between an opinion that can’t be supported
from the text (for example “Hector never should have gotten married”) and a factual
statement that nobody could argue with (for example “Hector and Achilles are enemies”).

2. Do you have topic sentences for every paragraph?

A. A topic sentence is like a mini-thesis statement for a single paragraph. It states the
point you will prove in the paragraph.
B. Does the whole paragraph fit its topic sentence? Don’t include anything in the
paragraph that doesn’t help prove the topic sentence. (Just like the paper as a whole
doesn’t include any arguments that are irrelevant to the thesis statement.)

3. Do you have evidence from the text to support your arguments?

A. You always need evidence when you are making an argument.
B. Balancing the quantity of textual evidence vs. analysis of it can be tricky. But don’t
quote text that you don’t intend to do a close analysis of, and be suspicious if you’re
tempted to quote more than a sentence – if you do, your quote is probably unnecessarily
long.
4. Do you have an introduction and a conclusion?
A. The introduction sets out your plan.
B. The conclusion can broaden the scope of the paper, for example by bringing in a
modern issue. This makes a paper more interesting, but the main point of a conclusion is
to make sure that the reader understand how strong your argument is.
C. Both are necessary parts of the paper.
 Goals and Rubrics

A strong paper usually begins with an observation about a text and tries to give a new and insightful
interpretation of the observation, basing the interpretation on evidence from the text itself. This
new interpretation often focuses on a small question that helps us understand a bigger, more
important issue in the text (for example, you might consider the significance of the son of MacDuff
to Macbeth as a whole). Keeping the following features in mind should help you construct good
papers not only for this class, but others as well.

It is very possible to write an “A” paper, but the standard for university-level work is high. You
should not assume that work has earned an A simply because it is free of errors or the argument is
unobjectionable. Only work that is both without problems in all of the ways listed below and
exceptionally good in at least one area will achieve an A. Some ways that a paper may be
exceptionally good include elegant writing, especially thoughtful use of evidence, or an unusually
creative and intelligent argument.

At the sentence level:

Grammar and Spelling/Style 10% combined

No mechanical errors, spelling errors, fragments, run-on sentences etc.

Style: The paper is logical to follow, with clearly marked transitions. Word choice is correct, and
the vocabulary is varied. Your paper should be written in a formal, professional style, without
hyberbole or cliché. Ideally, sentences should vary in length and complexity.

The entire paper:

Organization: 25%

Each paragraph has a point, presented in a topic sentence, one of the first few sentences in the
paragraph. Your topic sentence should be clearly identifiable: if you cannot easily locate the topic
sentence of each paragraph, something has probably gone wrong. Each paragraph follows logically
from what goes before.

Evidence: 25%

Every argument should be fully supported by evidence. Every paragraph (except for the
introduction and conclusion) should refer to at least one specific passage from the text. But
quotation should not be used beyond what is necessary, i.e. “padding.” The paper should explain
why every passage that is cited is important, so that the reader understands exactly what this
passage contributes to the larger argument. The passages cited should not be only the most obvious
ones, or only those we read closely in class, so that they show that you have read the text
thoughtfully and carefully. Citation style should be correct.

Argument (thesis): 30%

Your main point should be clear and present an original interpretation. “Original” does not mean
that nobody has ever thought this way before, but simply that the you have reached your own
views, and are not summarizing an argument made in class. The paper should offer a thoughtful
analysis, not a superficial reading of the text. Potential disagreements or objections should be dealt
with respectfully. You should point out the importance and significance of the argument, without
overstating it.

Special Points

Beginning/Ending: 5%

The first paragraph introduces your question or insight, explains why it is important and worth
exploring, and gives the reader a clear idea of how the paper will shed light on it. The first
paragraph does not need to give the complete answer, but it will usually point to it. The final
paragraph must fully state your conclusion and its importance: tell the reader what you have
proven, and remind him/her of why it matters. If it helps, you can imagine someone listening to
your paper and asking you to answer the question “so what?” as you reach the end.

Audience: 5%

The paper provides enough information for the intended audience without telling the reader what
everyone already knows. For example, summaries of the texts we read in class are kept very brief
if they are mentioned at all, but if the paper refers to external texts, they are explained at greater
length.

Practices

All papers must be turned in on-time. Late work will be penalized 1/3 of a grade per 24-hour
period. A paper turned in even one minute late will count as late. So an A- paper turned in 1
minute to 24 hours late will receive a B+ grade. Or a B paper turned in 24-48 hours late will
receive a C+.

When you receive feedback, there will sometimes be a short comment on each of the headings
above. More extensive comments will typically focus on one or two of the headings where you
can make the most progress.