Instruction
Research Paper Assignment
Length: 1,000-1,500 words
Format: All drafts must be typed according to MLA style guidelines (12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced with no additional spaces between paragraphs, 1" margins, with proper header). Include a works cited page listing entries for your primary text(s) and all secondary sources consulted (not included in word count). You may choose to expand on your literary analysis essay, or you may select a new topic.
You are to write a researched literary analysis from one of the following prompts. You may use any poem or short story (fiction) that is on the syllabus for the term or any works from our textbooks.
You may select from the following prompts:
1. Select two-four elements of fiction (plot, point of view, character, tone/style, setting, theme, symbol) and analyze the use of those elements within a single story. What are the overall effects of the elements? How does the writer use the elements to convey his or her meaning? How do the elements enhance our understanding or enjoyment of the story?
2. Compare the use of one single element of fiction or poetry in any two of the stories/poems we have covered. You may elect to compare a story/poem from this class and a story/poem not from this class only with prior permission.
3. Analyze one of the stories or poems on the syllabus from a cultural, historical, and/or biographical perspective. How is the story representative of the time and place in which it was written? How do the details of the author’s own life experiences influence the story?
4. Explicate a poem. Use the poetry terms we have discussed this term. You may also refer to the scansion handout on Edmodo for guidance. You may organize by stanza or by device/element. This should be very in-depth.
Regardless of which approach you take, you will be expected to present an analysis of the text. Thus, you should have an overarching claim or argument about the text which you will present in your thesis statement and prove through evidence from the text itself. Support your claim in a well-organized, focused essay, using ethos, logos, and pathos. Conduct research to help you form or strengthen your argument. Use 3-5 credible secondary sources. Use at least one scholarly journal article (online or print), one book (digital or print), and one (credible!) website. Be sure to cite appropriately within your text and also be sure that your overall claim is your own, formed from your understanding of the text, and not borrowed from a source.