Core D Research Essay

Transcription

1 Core D Research Essay Topic: Pick a piece of ancient literature you have studied this year in Composition & Ancient Literature, Ancient History, or Western Thought I. Write an extended literary analysis focusing on one of the literary aspects this work (theme, characterization, imagery, etc.) For the research aspect of this paper you will research literary criticism on your topic and incorporate it into your argument. Length: 8-11 pages = 7.75 > 12 pages The Works Cited page does not count toward the length requirement. If you include illustrations, tables, or graphs, they will also not be included in the 8-11-page requirement. You will need to follow the MLA style guide for all inserts. Papers that fall below the page length requirement will automatically be reduced by one letter grade per page missing. Content requirements Each point you make should in some manner support, prove, or respond to the claim made in your thesis statement. Personal experience and generalizations are not sufficient to make a point in this paper: you must prove your thesis through direct textual evidence and support from secondary resources (literary criticism). Your essay should include a section on counterarguments where you discuss the arguments against your thesis and either concede to those arguments or rebut them. This paper must conform to 8 th Edition MLA standards in all aspects. Paraphrases and quotes must be properly credited with in-text, parenthetical documentation. No more than 30% of your final paper may be quoted material (at least 70% of the words must be your own writing). Follow the Research Essay Checklists. Be sure to attach your signed checklist, Grammarly report, and Revisere to the back of each draft. Failure to do so will automatically lower your grade by 30%. Resources You must use at least six sources, all of which must be credible. One of your sources will be the work you are analyzing. Two others may be books. The remaining three must be peer-reviewed literary journal articles from an academic database such as EBSCOhost. Books and peerreviewed literary journal articles are the only types of acceptable resources for this paper. Grading Each note card = 1 point (50 total points) Each annotated bibliography entry = 5 points (30 total points) Outline = 30 points First three pages = 20 points (completion grade) Semi-final Draft = 100 points Final Draft = 200 points

2 Preliminary thesis statement: Your preliminary thesis statement should be a complete, grammatically correct sentence, submitted using the coursework format found in the syllabus. For help writing your thesis statement, please refer to Writing the Literary Analysis by Brian Yothers, which is attached below. Note Cards: You must turn in a total of 50 note-cards. How exactly you want to format these cards is up to you. You may write on physical note-cards, create electronic cards, or create a Word Document with 50 numbered entries. However, no matter how you decide to format your cards, each card must include the following information: Source information (the book or article the information came from) Notes (the information you want to include in your essay) Content type designation (quote, paraphrase, summary) Page number Topic (what portion of your paper the information relates to) For more information on creating note-cards see Writing Research Papers Chapter 3 (pp ). Note: you must be able to bring your note cards to class, so if you choose to make electronic note-cards, then you must print them out. Annotated Bibliography: Each annotated bibliography entry should include the following: Thesis statement at top of page Citation in MLA 8 th edition format Type of resource (book or literary journal article) Summary of source Description of how you plan to use the information found in the source in your essay For an example of an annotated bibliography entry see Writing Research Papers Exercise 29 (p. 164). Outline: Outlines should follow the general Roman Numeral Outline format modeled below. They must include your thesis statement, complete topic sentences, evidence (may use key words), and transitions (may use keywords), counterargument, and rebuttal. The exact structure and length of your outline may vary, but it must include these elements. First three pages: The first three pages of your rough draft will be due two weeks before your rough draft. I will not edit these pages. Instead, you will receive a completion grade and an in-class review from one of your peers.

3 Semi-final draft: The semi-final draft should be as well polished as you can possibly make it. If your semi-final draft receives a grade of 90 or above, you have the option of making your semi-final draft your final draft as well, without performing any revisions. Final draft: If you receive a grade of 89% or below, you will be required to submit a final draft. This final draft should include the changes suggested on your edited semi-final draft. If I feel that you have not done your utmost make adequate changes, then you will either be asked to edit your paper again or you will receive the same amount of points on your final draft that you received on your semi-final draft. Because the final draft is worth twice as many points as the semi-final draft, this will necessarily result in a failing grade. I will only accept your final draft if you attach your semi-final draft and a Revisere based on your semi-final draft to the back of your final draft.

4 Research Essay Checklist Introduction: o My introduction contains a hook. o I mention the title of the book and the author s full name in the introduction. o My introduction contains a thesis statement. o My thesis statement is concise and to the point. o My thesis statement is underlined. Body: o Each of my body paragraphs contain a topic sentence. o All of my topic sentences directly relate to my thesis. o Each of my body paragraphs contain claims, proof, and commentary. o All of my subtopics/paragraphs support my thesis. I do not stray off topic. Conclusion: o I revisit my thesis. For strategies for writing superior conclusions see Quotes: o I have provided proper parenthetical citations for all summaries, paraphrases, and quotes. For more information on parenthetical citations see o I provide lead-ins for all my quotes or have blended them in with my own writing. For more information on parenthetical citations see Chapter 5 of Writing Research Papers or e/suggestedwaystointroducequotations.aspx o I have properly formatted all of my quotes. Short quotes are enclosed in quotation marks and long quotes are in block quote format. For more information on formatting quotes see Works Cited: o I provide a works cited page. o All of the sources I quoted, paraphrased, or summarized are provided in my works cited page. o Only the sources I quoted, paraphrased, or summarized are provided in my works cited page. o I have cited at least six sources. o At least 3 of my sources are peer-reviewed literary journal articles from an academic database such as EBSCOhost. o All of the entries in my works cited are formatted with a hanging-indent. o My works cited page is in alphabetical order.

5 o My works cited page follows MLA format. o My works cited page is the last page of my paper. For more information on formatting Works Cited pages see Formatting: o The formatting of my essay follows MLA standards: o Times New Roman o 12pt. font o Entire paper is double spaced o 1 margins o All paragraphs are indented o No extra spaces between paragraphs o Header: top right corner of every page includes last name and page number o In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, lists my name, my instructor's name, the course, and the date (all of this is double-spaced too). o My title is centered. It is not underlined, italicized, or in quotation marks. It is written in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters. For more information on formatting see General: o I do not summarize the plot in my commentary. o After I introduce the author in my introduction, I refer to them by their last name. o I do not use the pronouns you or your. o I do not write in first person. o I use literary present tense. o I do not use contractions. o My essay is 8-11 pages long. o I use no more than 2 be verbs per paragraph. o I have circled all my be verbs. o I do not use gendered language unnecessarily (I do not say men when I mean people ). o My title is creative ( Research Essay doesn t count!). o I have proofread my paper using Grammarly Pro and fixed all mistakes. o I have carefully gone through my paper with this checklist and checked off each entry. o I have attached this signed checklist to the back of my essay. o I have attached my Grammarly report to the back of my essay. o I have not plagiarized this paper in full or in part. By signing below, I attest that, to the best of my knowledge, I have completed everything on this checklist: Student s signature: Parent s signature:

6 Your Name Last name pg. # Miss Clay Core D Composition and Literature Research Essay Outline Date Submitted Thesis: Introduction Body I. Topic sentence: should be written in a complete, persuasive sentence that directly supports thesis A. Evidence to support your claim B. Evidence to support your claim Transition sentence II. Topic sentence: should be written in a complete, persuasive sentence that directly supports thesis A. Evidence to support your claim B. Evidence to support your claim Transition sentence

7 Counterargument III. Topic sentence: should present objection to your thesis A. Evidence to objection B. Evidence to objection Conclusion Rebuttal C. Evidence against objection or concession of point D. Evidence against objection or concession of point Transition sentence This is a sample outline only; use it as a guide to help create your own outline. Your outline will vary in length and structure, but make sure to include all necessary elements (topic sentence, transitions, main points, sub points, evidence, etc.).

8 From Writing the Literary Analysis by Brian Yothers What is Literary Analysis? It s literary It s an analysis It s an argument! It may also involve research on and analysis of secondary sources How is it literary? Usually, a literary analysis will involve a discussion of a text as writing, thus the term literary, which means having to do with letters This will involve the use of certain concepts that are very specifically associated with literature Important literary concepts o The basics: plot, setting, narration/point of view, characterization, symbol, metaphor, genre, irony/ambiguity o Other key concepts: historical context, social, political, economic contexts, ideology multiple voices, various critical orientations literary theory What is an Analysis? An analysis of a literary work may discuss: o How the various components of an individual work relate to each other o How two separate literary works deal with similar concepts or forms o How concepts and forms in literary works relate to larger aesthetic, political, social, economic, or religious contexts How is a literary analysis an argument? When writing a literary analysis, you will focus on specific attribute(s) of the text(s). When discussing these attributes, you will want to make sure that you are making a specific, arguable point (thesis) about these attributes. You will defend this point with reasons and evidence drawn from the text. (Much like a lawyer!) Thesis Statements in Literary Analysis Papers: The thesis statement is one of the (if not the) most important parts of your paper think of it as the foundation of a house if your foundation is weak and poorly constructed, what do you think happens to the house? The thesis statement is the announcement of your analytical argument that you intend to make and prove in the duration of your paper. It is a road map for the paper it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. The thesis statement should be the last sentence in your Introduction. Successful thesis statements provoke thought and should read beautifully.

9 Your thesis statement should include two parts: WHAT and WHY. o WHAT: What claim are you making about the text? o WHY: Why should we care? Why is your claim important? Your thesis should answer the so what? question. Examples of Literary Thesis Statements: Mark Twain s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel. What s wrong with this thesis statement? o An opinion about the book, not an argument. In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore. Better? How so? What is still missing? o Doesn t answer the so what? question what is the point of the contrast? What does the contrast signify? Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave civilized society and go back to nature. Even better? It presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content and answers the so what question. Edgar Allen Poe s work was affected greatly by the current events of his life, covering his family life, his childhood, and his career; these events changed his style and subject of his works. What s wrong with this thesis statement? More questions than answers: which works will be explored? What current events? What childhood or career events? How did Poe s style change and WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? There is a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. Bad? Why? Hawthorne s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl. Better? Why?