Literary Argument Paper
The Literary Argument Paper is the final paper you will write for this course. In this paper, you will be expected to set forth a specific claim and support it with evidence gathered from your research and the literature about which you choose to write. Your grade will be based on your ability to construct a sound literary argument and support your claim.
Choose any piece of literature from the list you received at the beginning of the semester. Make sure that your claim is argumentatively sound (that it isn’t, in other words, too obvious) and that you use adequate evidence to prove it. You must use at least three secondary sources and the primary source to construct your argument. The secondary sources MUST come from the databases located in the college’s library or the library of another college or university. You are NOT permitted to get and use information from the web. Attempt to identify an issue about a text on which there is no general agreement. You CANNOT write an argument about an author as we did not cover author biographies this semester. Use the following to start thinking about your topic:
Analyzing and Brainstorming:
Focus on the main argument of the text
Focus on the characters and what the narrator says about them
Focus on the meaning of metaphors used
Summarize the text and write a reaction to it – circle the most promising idea
Questions to ask yourself:
What is left out by the author that I think I can explain?
What is unclear about this text that I think I can explain?
These MUST be submitted as part of your project:
Cover sheet (A blank page with your MLA Heading and the title of your paper)
Final Draft
Works Cited page
Format of Project
Page length: 5 – 6 pages (Not including the Cover Sheet and Works Cited page)
Spacing: double
Margins: normal
Typeface: Times Roman
Point Size: 12 pt.
Here are some links to databases in TCC’s library that have to do with literature (These can also be found from the Libraries link that is located at the bottom of TCC’s Home page):
Literary Reference Center:
https://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=lrc
JSTOR:
https://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org
Literature Criticism Online:
https://ezp.tccd.edu/login?url=https://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/txshracd2560?db=LCO
These are just a few, but you need not limit yourself to just these. You can use any database in the library’s list – and there are a whole lot of them. Think outside the box: if you are going to argue that a character has a certain mindset/disability, then look at the databases for medical or health related issues, for instance.
Also, make sure that you are using search terms that are going to yield the best results. For instance, if you put “A Raisin in the Sun” in as a search term, then you are likely to get thousands of results (they will have to do with the play AND the character). If you put “Walter Lee Younger” in as a search term, then you are likely to pull up articles only having to do with the character. Don’t get frustrated if something doesn’t yield the results you are looking for – just try something else. If you get completely stuck, then please email me for help!!
Book Their Eyes were Watching God
