For this paper, you will select one of the topics listed below and discuss in a 4-6 page researched MLA paper. You will primarily be discussing your own thoughts and ideas about the works. You will use secondary sources for this paper to provide necessary historical information, supporting information or scholarly opinions, etc. Your paper should be based around your scholarly analysis; we are interested in how you develop your own theories about the texts we have read, and how you are able to support them. These essays should not be mere summary or “book reports.” I also don’t want you to just regurgitate class notes.
Your paper should be 4 pages minimum, meaning 4 full pages, top to bottom. The 6 page maximum is flexible; you may go over as long as your paper is on topic. You should include a title page. Your paper should also include a Works Cited page, although neither the Works Cited nor the title page count toward your 4-page total. Don’t forget MLA style in-text citations (parenthetical references). The paper will be in MLA format. It is double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, or Calibri only. Use 1″ margins.
Avoid the following: second person (“you”), “till,” “thru,” abbreviations, contractions, profanity, slang/colloquialisms, texting shorthand, and bigoted speech.
Make sure that your paper has a strong thesis; tell me what point you are trying to prove. Each paragraph should have direct quotes from the text to support your argument. The assignment dropbox for this paper will have TurnItIn enabled; this program will give you an “originality percentage.” Use this to your advantage. Anything under 15%, and you don’t have enough direct quotes as evidence to support your premises. Anything over 30%, and you are not explaining the significance of each quote. You should thoroughly explain each quote before moving on to the next one; you will never start or end a paragraph with a quote. You can also go into the originality report; the report highlights every time you have a quote, so you can check to make sure that you have quotation marks and parenthetical references for each. If your paper is short, but your percentage is within range, then there is some essential part of the discussion that you are missing. You may submit as many times as you like to check this; I will only read the most recent submission after the dropbox has closed.
If you have questions on how to use or cite research, please ask and I will be happy to help you. I will also read rough drafts provided I get them early enough in advance. Feel free to use proofreading apps such as Grammarly or Hemingway or make use of the Learning Center (all of which are linked for you on the Student Resources module).
For this paper, you will need to use at least 2 academic-quality sources other than your primary texts. Secondary sources should come from a peer-reviewed source such as our Northeast State library databases. Sources such as Spark Notes are NOT academic-quality and should not be used. If you have a question about whether a source is of high-enough quality, ask.