The emphasis should be on close reading and interpretive analysis of the work being discussed. This research paper is NOT to be a biographical study; it is to be a work of critical analysis. The assignment requires that you make use of at least three secondary sources and that you follow MLA documentation standards. This essay, like the previous one, should be thesis-driven, meaning that you should posit an argumentative thesis that will enlighten the reader as to the possible meanings of the text. Position your thesis at the end of your introductory paragraph, and aim to prove your thesis statement throughout the body of your essay in terms of several major points. Each body paragraph should have a clear topic sentence that directly relates to your thesis statement, and within each body paragraph you should provide textual evidence (short quotes and examples) from your primary source to support what you have to say. Through close reading, you will demonstrate how this textual evidence helps you to prove your point. Avoid over-summarizing. Assume your audience is familiar with the story. You will also use research to help prove your points regarding the text. All research must concentrate on the primary text, not the author’s life. Demonstrate throughout the paper why your point is relevant and how it helps us achieve a greater understanding of the work in question. The most successful papers will be both well-shaped and fully developed. They will also come to a thoughtful conclusion. You must use at least three secondary sources (this is in addition to your primary source, the text that you plan to write about). You are NOT to consult and/or make use of information that you find on the Internet unless you gain prior approval. Do not confuse the Internet with electronic databases like JSTOR, Infotrac, or the MLA Bibliography, which are allowed and can be accessed through the library. Do not use excerpted collections of criticism, such as Sparknotes, Masterplots, the Dictionary of Literary Biography, or the Encyclopedia of Criticism. A list of suggested topics appears below. You may choose a topic from this list or devise your own. If you choose to develop your own topic, you must gain approval at least two weeks prior to the due date. Suggested Topics:Explication of a short poem (or a passage from a longer one) by Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Eliot, Hughes, or McKayTranscendental influences on WhitmanSymbolism in Frost’s “After Apple Picking” and its relation to the narrator’s perceptions about death and the afterlifeGendered spaces in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”Biblical allusions, imagery in The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnFather or parental figures in The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe function of camaraderie in “The Open Boat”Examine the persona of the speaker in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”Grace vs. blindness and pride in O’ConnorWilly Loman as a tragic hero in Death of a SalesmanSignificance of dreams, delusions, and deceptions in Death of a Salesman Due Date: Tuesday, November 15. Essays are due before the beginning of class on this day and should be uploaded to Blackboard. Essays submitted after class begins are considered late, and late papers are penalized one full letter grade for each day late, including weekends. If circumstances (such as illness or an emergency) prevent you from turning your paper in on time, contact me as soon as possible to make other arrangements.
