For this assignment you will write a paper on The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich and do research that helps you to analyze a “real world” issue that comes up in that text. Your essay will explain how your sources help us to better understand the text’s approach to the issue. The “real world” issue is your choice.

Six (6) full double-spaced pages minimum, 12 pt Times New Roman font
A title
A clear, focused thesis
A minimum of two (2) outside scholarly sources (see additional research requirements below)
Quotations and references that support the thesis
MLA documentation within the essay and a Works Cited page at the end (not counted in the six (6) page minimum
A clear pattern of organization
No pattern of serious errors (fragments, run-on sentences)

It should be non-literary: Please don’t look up literary criticism on the texts–for example, don’t use criticism that analyzes symbols or characters in the work. Stick to non-literary sources that provide you with ideas and information that help you analyze a “real-world” issue in the work.
It should be college-level material: All scholarly books and journal articles are college-level. If you’re not sure if your source is OK to use, please ask me.
Avoid these sources: Wikipedia, other general encyclopedias, web sites such as SparkNotes, dictionaries, and web sites that provide pre-written essays may not be used as research sources.