Assignment Resources (Amer. Lit.)

Literary and Film analysis worksheet

Class and Assignment Schedule

A Glossary of Literary Terms

MLA sample format

Academic writing rubric

Research paper observations Here are general observations and tips after grading the class research paper (as discussed in class).

Research Paper Scaffold another way to think about organizing the thoughts for your paper. Specifically, think of your thesis statement (again, almost always the last sentence of your introductory paragraph) as answering a question or set of questions. What questions is your research paper answering? Also, the resource asks you to find five articles. Remember you only need two for your research paper assignment. But analyze the source. What is it saying? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How does it relate to your book, The Outsiders or The Scarlet Letter?

    Example

  • Questions: What is loss of innocence? How is loss of innocence displayed in The Outsiders? How does loss of innocence in The Outsiders relate to society and life today?
  • Sample thesis statement: By examining loss of innocence in Hinton’s The Outsiders, what it is in a literary sense and how it is displayed in the novel, readers can better understand that universal reality in modern society.
  • Structure
    • Intro. paragraph with thesis
    • Body
      • What is loss of innocence?
      • Brief summary of The Outsiders
      • Where is loss of innocence seen in The Outsiders?
      • How is loss of innocence seen in modern society? In modern literature? In other disciplines such as sociology or psychology?
      • How does loss of innocence in The Outsiders relate to loss of innocence in modern society? If there are a lot of differences between the loss of innocence portrayed in The Outsiders and modern society, discuss/analyze it.
    • Conclusion

Writing an outline

Thesis Writing Tips Purdue OWL gives examples for writing three different types of thesis statements: analytical, expository, and argumentative.

MLA Citation Guide from bibme.org

MLA Citation generator from bibme.org

MLA In-text Citations guide from Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

Sample Research Paper: The Fate of Macbeth Here is a sample literary research paper. I do not expect you to produce papers like this per se, but it is a guide to help you. Notice the clearly stated thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph. Notice the in-text citations. Notice the use of quotations (extended quotes should be used to examine texts more closely and not simply to fill up space in the research paper). Notice the logical progression throughout the paper. Finally, you will see a properly formatted Works Cited page at the end of the paper.