Major Essay Three: Research Essay

Purpose: This paper is meant to be an extended response to a story that we read during the fiction portion of the class. You are not only required to quote extensively from the primary text and from reputable secondary sources, but also your final grade depends upon your competency in this area. Please read the following instructions carefully:

Process:

Choose one topic from the list below. You’ll want to take this opportunity to dig deeper into a problem/question in the story. You may choose to focus closely on an author’s style, tone, themes, narration techniques, etc. I’ll expect an organized five-paragraph essay—though you may have more than three supporting points to make—with a clear thesis included in the introduction and a concise conclusion. This paper differs, however, from the first two major essays, as you must include a works cited page with your primary source citation and a minimum of three secondary sources for a total of four sources on your final works cited page. A primary source is the text that you’ve read and decided to analyze–the short story you’ve chosen, for example. Secondary sources, however, will be others’ ideas/opinions about the same primary text. For more information about MLA formatting, please review the Helpful Files 1 documents. If you are still confused, please be sure to sign-up for a conference with me via phone, or you may take your rough drafts to the JSCC Writing Center located on the bottom floor of the JSCC Library.

Format and Guidelines:

The paper must be three pages typed, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. You are required to use the most recent MLA format for citations. Please consult only the most recent MLA manual to assure proper documentation. You must include a works cited page to cite the primary and secondary sources with which you will be working. Failure to follow any of these formatting guidelines will result in a lowered grade. Plagiarism will result in an automatic zero (0) for this paper. Late papers will only be accepted one class day late, which will result in a full letter grade penalty. No papers will be accepted more than a class day after the original due date. Please consult the grading rubric for all literary papers that is available on this course’s eLearn content page under Helpful Files 2.

Paper Topics (choose one):

1. Write an essay where you choose one of the two Flannery O’Connor stories you read for this unit: “Everything that Rises Must Converge” and “Good Country People”. Specifically, focus on the narration style in your chosen text. Who tells the story and why is his/her perspective important? You might review the content/chapter information on narration. Pay close attention to passages in which the narrator relates the voice, vision, thoughts, or perspective of a focal character. How does the treatment of each character contribute to tone, irony, or other effects of the story?

2. Look closely at the setting in Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” (290), from the laboratory to the boudoir. Note the similes, metaphors, and other figures of speech that help characterize these places. How does these different patterns of imagery contribute to the symbolism of the story or to an allegorical reading of the story?

consult your dropbox closing date and calendar for Major Essay Three!

Book being used is the Norton introduction to literature class by Kelley J Mays 11 edition