I want to use the book monster by myers walker Papers should be double-spaced (spacing between paragraphs should be the same as spacing between all other lines; do not put any additional space between paragraphs, between the heading and the title, or between the title and the text) and should include an interesting and informative title and a works cited page. The suggested upper limit is eight pages; I will accept longer papers, but if you think that your thesis will take more than eight pages to prove, you’ll probably want to narrow it (or talk to me about aiming for the Essay Three criteria). Use Times New Roman font (12 pt) and one-inch margins; if you use a heading, it should be no more than four lines.· Present a clear and convincing argument, with all of the necessary structural elements (introduction; main point/thesis; a coherently organized sequence of paragraphs, each with its own main point/thesis; transitions between paragraphs, sections, and sentences; conclusion…).
· Present a literary argument that employs close reading, which means that you should support your argument with analysis of the text’s form (diction, word choice, structure, narrative voice, etc.) and perhaps of content as well. This will, of course, require you to quote from the novel(s) you’re analyzing and explain how and why those quotes support your claims.
Don’t simply retell the story. For example, describing Taylor’s character development throughout Jellicoe Road (even if you give quotes as examples) is a retelling of the story rather than an argument. An argument can often be made about a “what” (a message or idea that’s not immediately obvious), but the argument will often be richer and more convincing if it also includes a claim about how and/or why the text conveys this message or idea. That said, it can be helpful to start your thinking by describing some element of a novel that interests you, although the description sections won’t end up in the final paper. If you have trouble moving beyond description to analysis, let me know so I can help you make that step.
