1000 words (4 pages double spaced, 12 point font).
This assignment asks you to read and analyze ONE of the following novels:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The Girls by Emma Cline
Note on content: Girl Mans Up and The Girls both include explicit scenes involving sexual assault.
The Hate U Give and The Marrow Thieves include explicit scenes of race-based violence. Ask
Kathryn for the exact page range that you can avoid if need be.
1. Building on the readings and the in-class discussions we have had about the class material, this
assignment asks you to write an essay with an introduction, conclusion, and at least 2 body
paragraphs. In your introduction, give a brief summary (2 sentences max.) of the novel.
2. You must have a thesis statement with a “so-what” factor. In your essay, you must integrate
material from both the novel you have chosen and from AT LEAST TWO class readings.
Please underline your thesis statement in the introduction.
Some examples of themes you might want to explore to construct your thesis statement:
1. Police brutality and Black identity in The Hate U Give
2. Queer identity/sexuality in Girl Mans Up
3. Indigenous futurity and Decolonization in The Marrow Thieves
4. Constructions of femininity or toxic masculinity in The Girls
5. The Feminist Killjoy figure as it applies in any of the four novels.
3. You must use correct MLA (8th edition) citation style, citing ALL material you have taken
from the novel, readings, and other outside sources if applicable. (MLA citation style also
applies for page numbers, title page, double-spacing, page layout etc.)
For some help using MLA see: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
This assignment will be evaluated as follows:
Structure and Style (20%)
Is the writing clear and well organized? Are proper spelling, citation and grammar used?
Construction of Argument (60%)
Is there a clear thesis statement underlined in the introduction? Does this thesis statement relate to
two readings and the novel that you have picked? Does the paper pose a clear argument that goes
beyond definitions or factual statements? Is the thesis of the paper strengthened by the body
paragraphs with cited examples (in quotations) from the novel?
Critical Response/Thinking (20%)
Does the paper demonstrate critical thinking/engagement with the novel and class readings?
