Essay Assignment 1: Documented Literary Analysis
Your literary analysis essay will be on the novel Sula by Toni Morrison. You can choose from any of the topics listed below (recommended) or explore further topics in the chapter on Sula, in the book How to Write about Toni Morrison (linked here for your convenience).
Your literary analysis should be between 2 ½ and 3 pages (600 to 750 words), not including the Works Cited page, should be double spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font and must meet the following criteria:
• A clearly articulated thesis that states, somewhere in your introduction, the assertion (position, interpretation) that your paper will prove
• An introduction, a minimum of 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
• At least two quotes from the novel itself that are integrated into your discussion
• At least two citations of outside sources (such as literary criticism on the novel). At least one source should come from the MDC databases. All sources must be academic.
• Topic sentences that focus the discussion of the body paragraphs
• Examples, details, explanations in the body paragraphs that clearly support your thesis
• Clear connections between ideas from paragraph to paragraph and within paragraphs
• Proper MLA style format in the heading, in the in-text citations, and in the Works Cited page (see the template for the heading and margins in this lesson)
• Works Cited page includes articles from two sources and from the novel for a minimum of three total listed sources
• Standard usage, grammar, and mechanics
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
You will submit your final draft through the Turn-it-in drop box designated for this purpose in the course. Please be aware, that although Turn-it-in does allow for similarities for quotations up to 24% of your paper, any similarity above 24% is considered too high for an original paper and will be flagged as plagiarism.
You can get help with your paper at any of the campus writing centers (see the link in the course with this information), and you can also receive online help via SmartThinking, the online tutoring service provided by the College. This service is available by clicking on SmartThinking in the left-hand menu bar of the course under Tools & Resources.
MUST USE THE TOPIC, THE TWO ARTICLES AND THESIS STATEMENT
TOPIC
In what ways are the various characters in the novel alienated from the community? How do they cope with their loneliness, their preoccupations, and other effects of feeling alienated?
ARTICLES
Ogunyemi, Chikwenye Okonjo. “Sula: ‘A Nigger Joke.’” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 13, no. 4, 1979, pp. 130–33. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3041477. Accessed 15 Mar. 2023.
Gillespie, Diane, and Missy Dehn Kubitschek. “Who Cares? Women-Centered Psychology in Sula.” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 24, no. 1, 1990, pp. 21–48. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2904064. Accessed 15 Mar. 2023.
THESIS STATEMENT
In the novel, the characters are alienated from the community in various ways, and their coping mechanisms for loneliness, preoccupations, and other struggles are reflective of the challenges faced by those who are isolated from society. While some characters are able to find solace in their inner lives, others are unable to cope with their alienation and suffer from a lack of purpose or direction.