HISTORY 335

American Baseball History
Summer 2003                                                                                                        Professor Bisson
Paper I

Based upon your reading of Eric Rolfe Greenberg, The Celebrant, write an essay in which you discuss how the historical context of baseball is revealed in the novel. That is, what can we learn from The Celebrant about how the game and its players were regarded by Americans in the early twentieth century?  

Your essay should be approximately 1000 words (five typewritten pages). Quotation from sources may constitute no more than 10% of your paper. Papers that exceed this limit will receive a failing grade.

The final draft of your essay should be carefully crafted and devoid of spelling errors. Proofread your papers for typographical errors. Remember that pronouns and their antecedents must agree in number and recall how to form the possessive case.  Do not use contractions in a formal essay. Avoid the passive voice ("is," "was," and other forms of the verb "to be"). Watch for convoluted syntax and imprecise or faulty diction (word choice). Strive for the active voice and try to compose sentences that are compact and periodic (subject-verb-object).

There is an extremely useful site devoted to “some of the most commonly violated rules of writing, grammar and punctuation.”   See http://www.junketstudies.com/rulesofw/

Your paper is due in class on Tuesday, 24 June.  Late papers will be penalized five points per day.