Essay 4: Literature and Research

For the final paper of the semester you will compose an argumentative paper on a topic of your choice
based on our class discussion, notes, and secondary research. Research Papers are required of all students
taking English Composition II.

For this paper you may choose to write about any short story, poem, or play we read this semester. You
must develop a thesis that makes an argument about a topic from the semester applied to a reading you
choose. For instance you could make an argument about a character, setting, atmosphere, symbol, point
of view, structure, image, or theme in a short story or play. Or you could make an argument about rhythm,
meter, speaker, image, or form in a poem. This assignment is very open so that you can choose a topic of
interest to you.

You will support your argument (your opinion) with at least three reputable secondary sources, not
including your book. Go to the Massasoit library or your local library and find some information about
the author or story you have chosen. Use magazines, books (including biographies and criticism),
reference books, databases, and the Internet. Be sure the sources you are using are reputable. In
addition, make full use of the Internet, beginning with the data bases on the Massasoit Library
Homepage:

Literature Criticism Online

Academic Search Premier
Contemporary Literary Criticism
Expanded Academic ASAP
Literary Reference Center
Please remember that sources are meant to help you support your argument. You should now put
together all your sources and write a paper directly from them. I am more interested in what you have
to say as a writer/reader. The sources are only to help you build your argument. It is your argument,
not the sources argument.

All sources must be documented using MLA documentation style with both parenthetical references
and a works cited page. We will discuss this in class, but you should consult your composition 1
handbook Rules For Writers or the Purdue OWL which is available free online.

Brass Tacks:

 4-5 pages, 12 point font

 3 secondary sources outside of the textbook
 MLA documentation (parenthetical references and works cited page)

You may build off of ideas developed in previous papers from the semester. Some topic choices could be:

 The theme of racism in Desiree’s Baby

 The symbol of the Chrysanthemum in the Chrysanthemums
 The symbol of dark and light in Desiree’s Baby
 The first person point of view in Everyday Use
 The Personification of Death in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”

These are topic but as with any topic they would need to be focused and developed into an argument in a
thesis statement.