500-600 word essay
cmoey1Smith
Sample Cover Letter
John Smith
Professor XXXXX
ENGL 200
July 14, 2010
Dear Prof. L-T:
In exploring the theme of murder for the sake of justice in the short stories: “Killing” and “Guests of the Nation,” I was trying to show that the authors of these stories explored the warrant of such action and challenged the reader to form his or her own opinions about them. During the crafting of this essay, I was impressed with my ability to unlock ideas within the text that gave clues to the authors’ motivations. In “Guests of the Nation,” O’Connor has a real personal attachment with the theme because he most likely lived through or knew of situations like this one during his time with the IRA. The real learning of these stories takes place when you realize that the weight of justice is too heavy for ordinary men to bear. Higher authority figures are there for a reason, and although they may not always be 100% effective, they are there to protect societies from both wrongdoing and the fate of trying to personally distribute justice.
Although I fell in love with these stories, the most difficult part that I had in writing this paper was trying to show different perspectives on the same topic. What I learned is that many times the perspective is implied and is not concrete. Of course, what proved difficult also became the greatest strength of the paper. I see the different perspectives of justice as the strongest part of the essay. The idea that justice is a matter of perspective, especially on a person level is universal. However, a higher power (in the form of a judge or jury) is more likely to see justice more clearly and make a fair assessment of how justice should best be fulfilled. If time weren’t an issue, I’d want to continue to develop this aspect of the essay further since a better understanding of the law would enable me to express the idea plainly and intelligently. Too often, I feel that justice is not served and that more people should truly question the law and its decisions when the verdict is unjust.
Since I struggled a bit with legal talk in the paper, I’d ask that my professor examine my content for clarity and comprehension. I’d also hope that she would address my introduction to assure that my opening truly does grab the audience’s attention and keeps it there with a strong thesis. The manuscript follows MLA Style and contains in-text citations and a works cited page.
Sincerely,
John Smith
John Smith
Professor XXXXX
ENGL 200
July 14, 2010
Faulkner and Stream of Consciousness
John T. Matthews writes in his book, The Sound and the Fury: Faulkner and the Lost Cause: "it may seem artificial or even redundant to" discuss "Faulkner's technique" (106). There is no shortage of criticisms regarding William Faulkner's literary style. He brings to literature an opportunity to engage his readers differently than anyone before or after him. Faulkner's style is to have the reader associate with the character by listening to the character's (often the narrator's) speech. He cleverly lets the reader discover the characters' weaknesses, strengths, personality traits, motivations, desires, instabilities, et cetera, through his unique narrative style which foregrounds stream of consciousness.
Stream of consciousness can take on many forms, one of which is the lack of punctuation in a narrative. Frye includes in his definition of stream of consciousness techniques as "unorthodox punctuation…unusual capitalization…frequent italics…or sometimes a lack of punctuation or of distinguishing typefaces altogether" (444). One example of this type of narration exists in "The Bear." Part 4 of "The Bear" is of Ike recounting the history of the McCaslin land and home. This section lacks punctuation and narrative clarity making it more difficult to read than some of the other Faulkner pieces.
However, particularly effective in "The Bear" is Ike's narration of the hunting trips. His growth and discovery from a young boy to an old man is insightful. What he learns in hindsight is similar to the wisdom the old fisherman has in The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. Ike is able to become part of nature, not just an outside observer. Ike's sole purpose for being in the woods is not for the kill. It was refreshing to have a single narrator in this story. For the first time, we really got to know a single character.
Etc.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. “The Bear.” Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses, Old Man, The Bear. New York: Vintage, 1958. Print.
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957. Print.
Matthews, John T. The Sound and the Fury: Faulkner and the Lost Cause. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Print.