Comeplete paper from topic

MLA paper.  Retwriter you did the topic proposal so now also do the paper.  All the same documents are attached other than your completed topic proposal form.  Just follow the instructions.

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SOURCES: You must use a minimum of THREE secondary sources. You will cite the work you are analyzing, of course, but it is a primary source. Therefore, you will have a minimum of FOUR sources listed on your Works Cited page. At least ONE of your secondary sources must be an article from a scholarly journal accessed via an LSCS library database. You must not use Cliffs Notes or Bloom’s Notes or the like, basic dictionaries or encyclopedias, or any plot summaries. You should select reputable sources of literary criticism that help you prove your thesis. If, in addition to these minimum source requirements, you would like to briefly cite a source such as The Bible or a specialized dictionary – that is fine. If in doubt about the quality of a source, ask me or a reference librarian. An essay that does not meet the minimum source requirements will earn an automatic F.

· LENGTH: The essay must be 3-4 textual pages (not including the Works Cited page). The essay must follow MLA manuscript form guidelines stated in the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook. The text of the essay must be 3 full textual pages, meaning it will reach the bottom, one-inch margin on the third page of a correctly formatted Word document. An essay that does not meet the minimum length requirements will earn an automatic F. Please do not exceed 4 textual pages. Focus your thesis to conform to the length requirements.

· MLA DOCUMENTATION: This research project should follow all parenthetical documentation / Works Cited guidelines found in the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. You must use in-text parenthetical citations according to MLA form, and they must clearly match up to entires on the Works Cited page, which will be the last page of your paper. Remember, the WC page is in addition to the minimum length requirement of 3 full textual pages. You are being graded on your ability to correctly document your primary and secondary sources. (See Learning Outcome # 7 on your syllabus.)

· THESIS: You should state your carefully crafted thesis at the end of your brief introductory paragraph. A thesis is an assertion that you are making – something that must be proven in the body paragraphs through a close analysis of the literary work. Since this is a short paper, your thesis must be very specific. Students tend to make their thesis statements too general, usually out of the fear that if they are too specific they will run out of things to say. However, students with broad thesis statements fail to fully develop and support the assertion made and, instead, end up writing an essay that touches on ideas without fully analyzing and supporting claims made.

· SUPPORT: You’ll integrate brief quotations and specific details from your primary source. When using secondary sources, you should primarily paraphrase the ideas of the critics. Quote sparingly from your secondary sources. Do not use any long quotations. Regardless of whether you are quoting or paraphrasing from your sources, you must always provided documentation (parenthetical citations matching up to entries on the Works Cited page) following MLA guidelines. Don’t forget that your sources serve to support your analysis. Your body paragraphs should be focused (topic sentences), and they should be developed with an appropriate mix of details from the primary source, your analysis of those details, and secondary support from literary critics.

· ESSAY STRUCTURE and WRITING SKILLS: You are being graded on your ability to write a logical, well-organized, and well-supported analysis of a literary work (see Learning Outcome # 6 on your syllabus). Poor essay organization and poor grammar and syntax will sabotage your hard work, and it may result in a failing grade. The essay must be well-organized and carefully edited. This is a formal essay.

· PLAGIARISM: The penalty for plagiarism is an automatic F in the course. The college subscribes to an anti-plagiarism site called Turnitin.com to which all papers will be submitted. Please read the information about avoiding plagiarism very carefully and ask questions when confused.

· TOPIC IDEAS: One of the most challenging questions in the research process is, “What can I write about?” The answers are as varying as the people who write. People respond so differently to works of literature that it is hard to predict what they – and you – might choose to write about. Of course, this is a very short research paper, so you won’t be able to analyze everything significant in the work. Instead, you’ll limit yourself to some part of it. But which work? Which part? Below, I’ve listed some BROAD topic ideas. You might want to choose a couple of these and do some brainstorming to focus the topic and get at the assertion that you’ll make about its significance. Please feel free to send me your thesis by email prior to starting your research. I’ll give you some feedback and suggestions and let you know whether you are on the right track.

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Please Note
: This is a researched LITERARY ANALYSIS essay. While you might take a historical approach (for example) when analyzing some aspect of the work you’ve chosen, you are NOT writing a history paper. While you might take a psychological approach, you are NOT writing a psychology paper. While you might discuss an issue related to religion, you are NOT writing a theological treatise. Again, it is a literary analysis paper, so please keep your focus on analyzing the work itself.

APPROACH #2:

Another approach would be to expand on an idea addressed briefly in one of your discussion posts. Remember, you’ll need to create a focused thesis statement. The prompts below can be used to create an assertion that you could then prove in your body paragraphs through a close analysis of the primary source (the work we studied) and through support from your secondary sources (literary criticism).

Edgar Allan Poe – “The Fall of the House of Usher”

Analyze the use of parallels or mirror images in this story. How does this kind of imagery support a thematic idea running throughout the story?

Hi Michael,

You have a really good focus to the essay.

The parallels in Poe’s story expose
the am
biguities of our human
relationships and their surroundings
.

I would suggest that you – at some point – go back and develop the thesis more fully. Try to clarify exactly what you mean by exposing “the ambiguities of our human relationships and surroundings.” That is a little unclear, and you want the assertion in the thesis to be very clearly stated.

You might consider how the mirror images/parallels, for example with Roderick and Madeline, reflect an outgrowth of obsession, causing them to withdraw from the full human experience. It’s a thematic idea that both Hawthorne and Poe (as “dark romantics”) explored.
 If you’re stuck, re-read the story, and take notes with your specific idea in mind. 
 
You might also do some preliminary research (browsing through the critical literature in the library) to see some of the varied perspectives regarding your focused topic. This can sometimes help you clarify your own ideas. Remember, the point of literary research is to engage – not just with the primary source – but with the academic community, so you can allow the preliminary research to inform – but not dictate – your interpretation.
 
Once you have done a good amount of prewriting and textual review and preliminary research, try to re-write your thesis statement. 
Also, you’ll need to create an outline once you revise the thesis. The topic sentence for each paragraph should contain a single, focused “claim.” Essentially you will take on a ‘piece’ of the thesis, and you will develop the paragraph by proving the claim through a close analysis of the details of the story and with support from the critics.
 I hope that helps! Let me know if you have questions as you move through the research process.
~ Ms. Page

T
he Three-Part
Topic Proposal for Research

Save this file to your computer; type in your responses for each of the three areas below, and then upload your work by the deadline using the dropbox in Module 11.
Step 1
: Explanation
Write a one-paragraph explanation. (This is not an introductory paragraph for the paper.) This should be an explanation of your focused topic and what you hope to prove to your reader through your analysis.
Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” has gained great reviews for its extraordinary structure in which various themes emerge from a detailed network of imagery. One of the outstanding themes is the use of mirror images or parallels. The use of direct and opposite semblance in the behavior, characters, events and relationships between characters in the short story adds necessary depth and increases our interest. My paper will examine these themes and also examine how the themes and characters related to Poe’s own life.
Step 2
: Working Thesis

Really think about what you wrote in the explanation and pull it together by creating a working thesis. You will likely continue to revise and edit this thesis. Remember: A THESIS should include the
focused topic
plus your
assertion about the significance of that topic
. It should be
argumentative
in nature, since it is an opinion that you will prove through a close analysis of the details of the text.
For instance, the story’s narrator first views the Ushers’ mansion as a reflection in the shallow pool that lies alongside the front of the mansion. The pool mirrors the house, although in an upside down manner. The inverse symmetrical relationship also illustrates Roderick’s relationship to the sister, Madeline. The parallels in Poe’s story expose the ambiguities of our human relationships and their surroundings.

Step 3
: Tentative Outline

Now create a tentative outline for your working thesis. In other words, how will you break up your body paragraphs to prove or support the thesis?
My paper will examine the various characters, their interactions, their situations, their actions and their environment relate to portray mirror images or parallels in the narrative. It shall also examine how the author utilises the theme to relate the story to his private life and his other literary works.