Hello! I have an essay for my American literature II class that I really need help with. I will post all the requirements that the teacher gave me down below.
Final Research Essay Assignment Instructions.
The final essay, the signature assignment for ENG 232, should represent the culmination in your ability to
analyze a literary text, employing the skills we have developed during the semester. It should be a reflection
of your grasp of both individual works as well as the American literary scene at large.
REQUIREMENTS:
Each essay should be 1200 to 1600 words (Works Cited Page not included) – no more, no less. It should be in
full, proper MLA format (Name, title, date, headers, spacing, etc. – in 8th edition) and use formal citations and
format in-text and on the Works Cited page. It must be submitted by 11:59 on the due date in Microsoft Word
format.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENT:
In addition to citing the actual literary works, the essay must use at least 4 outside secondary sources of
information from the digital CPCC library databases. Use of other primary sources (like The Bible, other literary
works, general reference, websites, etc.) and online research is permitted only after this requirement is
satisfied and will not count toward the minimum 4. Still, Wikipedia , dictionaries, online general reference, and
other online “answer” sources (like Sparknotes) should be avoided altogether in 200 level college essays.
FORMAT:
Students must remain in the 3rd person throughout the essay and avoid sloppy, informal writing, exemplified
by contraction and slang usage. Additionally, proper grammar is necessary for your ideas to be effectively
communicated; revise and edit carefully. This step is often the key to writing a strong essay. Use the ALC
tutors, TRIO, and other services if you are struggling in this regard. Finally, this essay should be more than a
simple 5 paragraph essay.
DIRECTIONS:
Choose any piece of literature from the textbook that was not assigned and argue why it should be part of this
course. That is, you will essentially be “making a case” for a work’s value.
-
Do so by first hooking the reader and then explaining the background of the piece; note any
important contextual, authorial, or critical information regarding the work. Readers may
not be deeply familiar with an author’s background, his works, or his scene. Cover this. -
Next, in the essay body, explain the major theme or themes at work in the text. What is it
“telling” readers? What are its most central declarations/focuses/obsessions? Cite specific
examples from the text and utilize researched support. But do not engage in a lengthy
summary of “what happens.” This should be the largest segment of the essay – you cannot
simply do this in one or two paragraphs. This is likely where the bulk of your research will
be helpful. -
BONUS SECTION: (Up to 10 points). Add an explanation of how your chosen work is actually
similar in certain yet specific ways to something we did read this semester. You will do this
to help show your work’s value. For full bonus, this must be developed fully, with close-
reading of the literature, and the compared work must be cited properly.
d. Finally, conclude by suggesting why it could be an equal substitute for two different works
that we did cover (neither of these can be the same as step “c” if you opt for the bonus
paragraph). Make sure that these two works are from different units; thus, you will need to
justify in both instances why the new work is a valuable read from more than one thematic
perspective. Important: do not skim past this section, as it is the most important aspect,
the climax of your essay and your central argument. However, this is also not an
opportunity to degrade or complain about a work you did not enjoy (or you thought was
too long, boring, etc.); it is a chance to prove the relative worth of the work you did choose
as a potential replacement. It is not a forum to attack an assigned reading.
GRADING:
The essay will be worth 200 points. See the grading rubric for detail, but a paper meeting all of the minimum
requirements, written without major structural or grammatical flaw, is considered a passing essay (think 150 –
175 points). Especially convincing, well-structured, solidly reasoned, and competently written and researched
essays will score higher (175-210 – with bonus). Those that fail to meet minimum word and research
requirements; do not follow the instructions; and/or are filled with major structural, logical, MLA format, and
grammatical errors will score lower (think 125 and below, if especially troubled). Those essays that do not
properly use and cite 4 secondary sources will lose 10 points for each missing formal source. Important:
essays that do not list the actual citations for the textbook selections being discussed (and cited in-text) will
also lose 10 points per missing entry; incomplete or incorrect citations will also result in deductions.
SO, YOU WANT AN “A”….
First, consult the written work I have graded and returned to you to identify your areas of weakness and look
to improve upon them.
Then be mindful of using transitions, developing introductions fully, keeping paragraphs unified and coherent,
avoiding unnecessary repetition, and not to drop quote. See the video on Blackboard regarding this source
integration error.
Important: A complete paper does not just use 4 sources once each in the paper (just to satisfy minimum
requirements) or rely heavily on copying and pasting large amounts of research as quotes. In an “A” paper, I
should see more quotes for support from the actual literary texts you are analyzing and paraphrases and
summaries from the outside research you are employing.
I should see no typos, misspellings, or inconsistencies. I should see intellectual analysis as opposed to
overgeneralizations, assumptions, and other logical fallacies.
The little bonus section in the directions for the essay is not necessary since no one would be able to answer it other than myself since I was the one in the class. I will also provide a copy of my last essay with corrections and suggestions that my professor provided. Last but not least, I will also put a list of all the readings that I’ve done in this class.
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