Length = 750 words To prepare for this essay, we will read and discuss the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Take lots of notes as you read; ask lots of questions; and participate in class discussions. Over the course of your reading and our class discussions, you will be developing ideas for a topic and formulating your thesis. We’ll discuss ideas for topics and thesis statements in class. You will also submit a rough draft of your essay, and in class you will exchange drafts with classmates and read and provide feedback on one another’s drafts. Your essay should be focused and thesis based. That is, don’t simply give a plot summary or book report style essay. You should have something interesting to say about the text, and you should articulate your main point in a clear and focused thesis statement. The body of your essay should develop the thesis in a substantial and detailed way, and you should support your points with specific references to the text, including quotations. Some points to remember: Provide a title for your essay. Include page numbers (in parentheses) when referring to specific passages from the text. Early in your essay, introduce the full name of the author and complete title of the work. (Afterwards, you may refer to the author by last name.) Place the title of the text in italics (or underline). Integrate quotations properly using signal phrases. Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. When writing about literature, write in the present tense.