Hiroshima by Hersey

1. Write an essay interpreting Slaughterhouse-Five or Hiroshima. You may analyze the characters (people), setting, plot structure, point of view, or themes in the work, focusing on the humanity or culture of war.  Along with your own ideas, reasons, and analysis, you must use “proof” in the form of quotes, summaries, and paraphrases from the work in order to illustrate and back-up your own points.  When you write about literature, you need to make sure that you write in the present tense, but this does get tricky with Hiroshima since it is more creative non-fiction.  You should focus on the critical questions that we have been talking about in class.  

Do NO mention the author or artist, the viewer, the reader, the audience, “I,” “we,” or “you.”

You MUST also include at least SIX secondary sources in this paper-two of which must come from our library’s databases.

Your thoughts drive this essay. In other words, you cannot just submit an essay that is all summary of information. Never just tell what the story, the poem, or videos are about. You must show your audience what the story, poem, music, or artifact means in relation to the war. This is a thesis-driven argumentative essay. Your thesis cannot be a fact. It must be a statement that someone can argue against, and then you must prove that you are right in your argument by using quotes, summaries, and paraphrases from the story and explained by you.

You will be graded on the organization of your essay, your introductory paragraph, thesis statement, body paragraphs with topic sentences and transitions, and your concluding paragraph. Make sure that your body paragraphs are cohesive! You are REQUIRED to submit a Work Cited page. Include all sources on this page! Go to Purdue University’s online writer’s lab for examples.

Submission Guidelines:

1) The finished essay should be at least 5-6 pages typed (not including the Work Cited page), double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. Please use a standard font and type size, for example 12-point Helvetica or 12-point Times.

2) You must include internal MLA style citations for your quotes, summaries, and details taken from the works or videos/presentations and secondary sources, and your Works Cited page must be formatted according to MLA standards. If you have questions about this please email me immediately, and I also highly recommend that you go to Purdue University’s Online Writer’s Lab to see examples of how to do MLA citations and Works Cited entries.

3) You must upload your essay as a .doc or .docx format to the draft assignment box for peer review.

4) You must upload your final essay as a .doc or .docx format to the final assignment box for review by turnitin.

Critical Questions:

• Is war inevitable?
• What can we learn from our exploration of WWI, WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam wars to help us avoid war in the future?
• What alternatives to war exist?
• What are the major reasons for war and are these reasons justified? Consider the biological, social, economic, political, and psychological reasons.
• Are there “good” or “necessary” wars and “bad” ones? How do we know the difference?
• What are the “evils” of war? Why do these “evils” not deter humanity from pursuing war?