For this paper, you will be writing 750-1,000 words (the works cited does not count). When you submit your paper to the dropbox, it will automatically be submitted to Turnitin, and a Turnitin Originality Report will be generated. This report is accessed through the dropbox by clicking on the colored square (it might be green, blue, red, or brown) with a percentage. This percentage shows you how much of your paper is cited from secondary sources (not necessarily how much is plagiarized), so you should check each highlighted portion to make sure you are citing your sources correctly and are not plagiarizing. You may correct your paper and resubmit it as many times as you need to before the due date.
Topic:explain how place and time shape the author’s work and our understanding of it. You might consider how aspects such as regionalism, geography, or borders affect American literature, as well as the role of the vernacular in indicating place.
Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby” (564)
- You will need 2 sources for this paper: your primary source (the story from our textbook) and one secondary source (an analysis or critique written about the story you are discussing).
- The paper should have a clear thesis statement.
- I expect a minimum of four quotes from your primary source (the story from your book) and a minimum of two quotes from your secondary source).
- Your paper must be written following MLA guidelines (in-text citations for each source).
Citing Correctly
For the works you are using from the text, you need an in-text citation in the text of your paper. Provide the author’s last name and the page number for any quote from a story. Cite your secondary sources by referring to the 9th edition MLA documentation standards. You will need a Works Cited entry for each work from your textbook and an entry for each of your secondary sources. Alphabetize your works cited entries. Refer to the Writing Resources module in our course for documentation and citation information. The Purdue OWL
is another excellent online resource.
- In your introductory paragraph, identify the author and the title of the story you are writing about. State your thesis clearly at the end of the introductory paragraph; lead up to your thesis in some way. Do all of this without mentioning yourself or your paper, i.e. “I will show that…” or “This paper will be about…”
- Check your paper for unity (staying focused on your thesis) and coherence (using transitions between paragraphs).
- Do not summarize the plot. Retelling what happens only shows me that you have read the work; it doesn’t show me that you are thinking critically about it. Make your own point first, and then use only the portions of the work that develop your point. Think of the acronym PIE: make a point, illustrate it with an example from the work, and then explain the connection.
- Integrate your sources smoothly into your paper. Make sure it is clear to your reader why you are referring to a particular source.
- Remember that a direct quote cannot stand on its own; it needs some type of introductory tag. A good rule to follow: Don’t begin a sentence with a quote.
- Fiction is in the “eternal present.” When you write about what occurs in the work, use present tense verbs: “The narrator explains…” or “The character reacts to this situation…”
- Proofread your final draft–check grammar, punctuation, and adherence to MLA format and documentation. Your secondary source must be written ABOUT the work you are discussing; another anthology or another textbook that contains one of the stories you are discussing does not count as a secondary source.
- MLA documentation requires two steps: including your parenthetical (in-text) citation in the text of your paper AND listing the complete information for your source on your works cited page. To understand how it works, think about someone who is reading your paper and sees a source that he or she would like to read in full. The reader should be able to go to your works cited page and easily locate that source. In other words, what you list in the parenthetical citation should match what comes at the beginning of your works cited entry.