The essay will illuminate the literary text, considering the relevance of the writer’s purpose and/or the poem’s imagery, characters, themes, tone, and/or overall style.
Students should include research as thesis support using the guidelines and requirements listed below, and add an introductory and a concluding paragraph.
Guidelines for the Research:
1. The paper MUST implement 3-5 quotes or short passages of paraphrased material from at least 3 unique secondary sources (these must be articles or book excerpts accessed through the databases above). In order receive credit for submitting the rough draft, the draft must include research in at least two body paragraphs.
2. The secondary sources MUST be cited in the body of the paper and then listed on the Works Cited page using proper MLA format. Items listed on the Works Cited page are included specifically because those individual sources were referenced in the body of the paper. Referencing a source in the Works Cited page that is not mentioned and cited in the body of the essay is an indication of potential plagiarism.
3. The focus of the paper is the writer’s original analysis of the poems or short stories. The writer should use the research to enhance the thesis support, meaning only 10-15% of the paper should be research.
4. An entry for the poem must be listed in the Works Cited page, too, using the publication information provided with the piece in the Literature Packet.
5. Students must cite the database information for each of the 3+ unique secondary sources. The assignment requires that students obtain the research through the library’s online databases so if the entries do not demonstrate this fact, students will not receive credit for the research.
5. Each body paragraph must include a topic sentence as the first sentence of the paragraph. The topic sentence should tell the reader what will be covered in the paragraph and will show how the focus of the paragraph will support the thesis.
