Final Essay

Othello
Essay Exam 100 points
(This is so you can formulate your ideas as we read the text)

Directions: Choose one of the following and respond in an essay. Your answers must have a clear thesis statement that is developed using specific details and quotations from the novel. The essay should be between 3-5 pages long. This sheet needs to be stapled to the front of your essay!!!! Due 3/27
1) Take one motive we have discussed, or that you have come up with on your own, and ascribe it to Iago’s character. Make an argument that this motive is the reason for his actions throughout the play.
2) Take two complementary characters and make an argument as to why they compliment each other and how they do. How does each character make the other more pronounced? How are they defined through their juxtaposition?
3) Is Othello simply a puppet who is manipulated by Iago? Do we sympathize with Othello, or, as a reader, do we blame him for his actions? Make an argument.
4) Which female character do you think is a better example for a modern female reader, Desdemona or Emilia? What does each character represent as a wife and as a female?
5) Create a topic of your own. You must submit the question to me formally for approval via email (pgeorge@trinitycatholic.com) before the 24th of March.
Grading: Your essays will be graded on the following rubric.
Thesis/ Intro (15): clear and focused argument with good introduction.
Organization (5): clear connections between paragraphs and topics, smooth flow

Support (25): provides accurate and specific details to support ideas
Clarity (25): Clear, strong language that is easy to understand, choose words carefully for effect; no 1st or 2nd person, standard English grammar, punctuation.
Conventions (5): Proper spelling, black ink, MLA format (including quote format).
Style (15): Student uses and effective writing style that is captivating. Vocabulary and sentence structure are varied.
Conclusion (10): Restatement of main argument, and conclusion of argument that logically flows from the rest of the paper.