Due Date: 4 November 2011
Length: 2000 words
Style: MLA
Materials: Rain Taxi Review of Books – A book reviewed in Rain Taxi – 3-5 other sources

Overview:

Students choose a review from Rain Taxi and read the book which the reviewer analyzed. The student analyzes the book and uses the essay in Rain Taxi as one of their sources in their critical analysis of the book.

Each essay requires a minimum of five (5) sources, including the book and the essay in Rain Taxi. The essay should establish a thesis statement which posits a clear argument about the book, and all the sources should be used to work toward proving the thesis.

Variations:

1. The instructor assigns groups, and each member of the group writes about a different element of the same text; for example, if the book review in Rain Taxi is on a book of poems, one group member might write his paper on themes in the book, and another might write hers on diction; or if the book is a novel, one might write on plot development, and another might write on character.

2. For a lower level course or for a time-sensitive assignment in an upper level course, the instructor establishes the sources to be used and the literary attributes to be analyzed.