Ocean Vuoung, On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous, pgs. 79-95. Melville, Herman, Moby Dick, chp. 108, “Ahab and the Carpenter.” Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and Experience.”A Divine Image” and “The Divine Image”  A peer-reviewed secondary source N. Katherine Hayles, How We Became Posthuman  Susan Orlean or John Brockman texts (optional) Viktoria Modesto’s “Prototype” Prompt This project provides an opportunity for students to extend the conversation begun during the first project to consider the ways texts compose the conversation of the human body as the self’s first “prosthetic.” By placing two literary works in conversation with each other, students will explore the constructions (full range of rhetorical and narrative devices) of gendered identity. By examining the ways each text promotes and disrupts deeply imbedded assumptions and gendered identities associated with the forms our physical bodies and its resonant technologies assume, students will posit their own theory to the ways our views toward identities and gendered images are constructed. This project requires students to consider a specific audience as they compose theorize precise ways gendered identity is negotiated in those two texts— This project should demonstrate your ability to revisit the terms of the Hayles paper but in a new context. What are the “social, politcal, and psychological issues” raised by these two lterary tesxts about our understanding of ourselves and our gendered identities? You are welcome to draw on any of the other texts we have read to this point or to find your own points of connection from beyond this context. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to work closely with two of the three authors at the center of this unit ( Melville, Vuong, Blake). The project will be evaluated on its success in establishing a dynamic relationship with the two texts and its thoughtful consideration of the implication of this work. Strong essays will provide extended analysis of the texts in question, will put these terms (and examples) to use in a new context, and theorize about the ways gendered identities are forwarded and countered. As in all academic writing, the most important factor in this assignment is the contribution your essay makes to our ongoing conversation. Rhetorical Considerations With this essay, a new complexity has been introduced. Even more than in your first essay, you will need to select and present aspects of the reading that you wish to discuss. This is not a compare adn contrast project, and with so much to choose from, you will need to be clear about what aspect of the topic you are discussing and why it matters to your reader. Use writing features such as a stable, defined critical vocabulary; a strong title; powerful examples or demonstrations; section headings; images or diagrams where necessary; and, always, attention to the needs of your audience.