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AP English Literature and Composition Name ________________________
Neoclassical Comedy Argumentation Essay Assignment Date ________________________
Neoclassical Comedy Argumentation Essay Assignment
Paper Assignment: Argue for or against the following statement: The gender behaviors and
attitudes illustrated in William Wycherley’s The Country Wife and Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops
to Conquer are just as prevalent today as they were in the Neoclassical period.
The paper must assert without doubt the position taken on the thesis. In addition to
supporting arguments, the paper must include a counterargument and a refutation of that counter
argument. The paper must include evidence from at least three sources from VU’s databases as
well as evidence from the plays themselves.
1. Identify the gender behaviors and attitudes in both plays.
2. Conduct research to determine the gender behaviors and attitudes in society today.
3. Carefully consider the thesis of your essay.
4. Find evidence in the plays and in the other sources to support your assertions. The
playwrights’ and the researchers’ own words can be very effective in helping you to prove
your point.
5. Include both a counterargument and a refutation of that counterargument in your essay.
6. Integrate the quoted and paraphrased material into the text of your essay smoothly,
effectively, and correctly.
7. Introduce the sources in the text on their first use.
8. Document all quoted material correctly. Direct quotations should be limited.
9. Document all paraphrased material correctly. The bulk of your paper will be paraphrased
research.
10. Write an essay of 1000-1500 words.
11. Include a works cited list that includes the two plays and at least three works from the VU
databases with your essay.