– Review the five lenses from the handout “Lenses for Reading Literature”.

THE HOURS by Michael Cunningham Essay about 1500 words

– Review the five lenses from the handout “Lenses for Reading Literature”. With one of the lenses in mind, write about either Virginia, Clarissa or Laura and an aspect of their struggle. Be sure you have an argumentative thesis statement.

– You need to develop a specific, argument thesis statement and support your points with the text. For example, I might use the following as my thesis if I choose the lens of Gender:

In the novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham, the pressure for Virginia Woolf to adhere to a tradition gender role leads to her untimely demise.

– You need to include at least two outside sources/research. MAKE SURE AT LEAST ONE SOURCE IS LITERARY CRITICISM. YOUR SECOND SOURCE CAN BE GENERAL RESEARCH (FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU PAPER IS ABOUT LAURA AND MOTHERHOOD, YOU MAY FIND/USE A SOURCE ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE MOTHER IN THE 1950S). You need to include in-text citations and a Works Cited page. *Use quotation marks within the paper if info. is taken word-for-word. Use MLA format for all citations.

– Include a very clear, 1-2 sentence thesis in your intro.

– Your analysis should be based on close reading of the novel.

– Have a specific working thesis before you begin writing and utilize pre-writing techniques.

– Gather reliable research early in your writing process.

– Write as if the reader of your paper already knows the plot of the book you are writing about. Avoid plot summaries and focus on your ideas/analysis.

– Underline the title of the novel.

– Use quotations/passages from the novel to prove your points. Be sure and list the page number in parenthesis after your quote. If you are quoting text that is more than three lines, use MLA block style.

– Use the present tense when describing story events.