The research paper session 1 ss

The Research PaperLiterary Analysis and Thesis:……… Time to Get Psyched!!!

British and World LiteratureNovember 1, 2012

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Today we will look at:• How we approach

the writing of a literary analysis research paper.

• Standards addressed:• ELACC9-10RL1• ELACC9-10RL2• ELACC9-10RL7• ELACC9-10W1• ELACC9-10W2• ELACC9-10W7• ELACC9-10W8• ELACC9-10W9

Where are we?

Really important

THE BASICS

The Research Project• A 2-3 page literary criticism research paper writing that

evaluates and analyzes a work of literature

•3 parts:•Planning•Drafting•Finalizing

Topics to Choose From• Compare and contrast class structure in the society of

Shakespeare’s time, and the times of Hamlet• Research Question: In what ways did Shakespeare’s works contrast class

structure in the society of his time?

• What were the political developments in Tudor England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, and how was it reflected in Shakespeare’s plays or poetry?• Research Question: In what ways did Shakespeare works reflect the political

developments in Tudor England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1?

• Research an area of Shakespeare’s life, and how was it reflected in Shakespeare’s plays or poetry• Research Question: In what ways did Shakespeare’s works reflect specific areas

or events in his life?

Topics continued…• Research the influence of Elizabethan and earlier playwrights, other than

Shakespeare, and how the lack of copy writes laws impacted Shakespeare’s body of works. (authorship, original source_• Research Question: In what ways did the lack of copywrite laws impact

Shakespeare’s works?

• Shakespeare’s sonnets• Research Question: What ideas of love, friendship, and marriage are

displayed in Shakespearean sonnets, such as 30, 55, and 116?

• Shakespeare and the English monarchy• Research Question: In what ways did Shakespeare write his plays to

please the monarchy?

• The authorship of Shakespeare’s plays• Research Question: Did Shakespeare write all the plays attributed to

him?

From the LMS• Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as a portrait of the rising middle class in the

Middle Ages

• · The question of authorship of Shakespeare’s plays

• · Elizabethan theater as popular entertainment for its time

• · The nineteenth-century novel as an examination of the British class system: either Hard Times by Charles Dickens or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• · How William Butler Yeats’s Irish identity shaped his poetry

• · Chinua Achebe’s fiction as a depiction of social change in a British colony

•

Planning• Review the assignment instructions and grading criteria thoroughly. • The research project is divided into three sections spread across

three units.• Choose a topic for your paper.• Conduct research to help you narrow and develop your topic.

• Use both print and online sources for your research. • Cite at least four sources, at least one of which is a print source.

• Do not cite an encyclopedia. • Your final paper should be from 600 to 900 words. (2-3 typed

pages)• Complete the first assignment, Research Paper Planning

Assignment, which includes writing a thesis statement and developing a formal outline. • You will submit the completed plan for a grade.

Drafting• Begin drafting your paper. • Use your planning assignment and the feedback that you received from

your teacher.• Use your research notes to support your thesis.• Write in standard formal English, • Use the third person and the present tense. Your ideas should be• expressed objectively and be supported with your research. • Avoid sentences that begin with “I think” or “I feel.”• Review the Checklist and Rubric. Your first draft will be graded against the

checklist, so be sure that you have included everything that the checklist requires. • Keep the rubric in mind as you draft because your final paper will be

graded against the rubric.• Continue to work on your draft, referring to your research materials. • Then submit the first draft of your Research Paper after you have double-

checked it against the checklist that follows in this document.

Finalizing• Revise your research paper. Use the feedback on the first draft you

received from your teacher. • Also consider feedback you may have received from your mentor or

other readers.• The final paper will be graded against a rubric that assesses the essay in

the following five categories:• purpose and voice; ideas and content; structure and organization;

language, word choice, and tone; and sentences and mechanics. • Keep the criteria listed on the rubric in mind as you revise your paper.

• Proofread your research paper. Use the proofreading checklist as a guide. • Be sure you review how to cite sources correctly, both within your

paper and on the Works Cited page before you hand in your paper.• Make a final, clean copy of your Research Paper and submit it to your

teacher.

The Purpose of Research• The purpose of research is to find factual

information about a subject or topic.

• The purpose is generally not entertainment.

• You must be careful to select sources that are reliable, applicable to your project, and readily available.

• Make sure your sources are not slanted or biased by a special interest group.

WHY LITERARY ANALYSIS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfwYtfgZC98&feature=relatedhttp://viewpure.com/WfwYtfgZC98

What is literary analysis?

• It involves reading , thinking, and writing about literature.• Reading is the “literature” part.• Thinking about what you read and drawing

conclusions about that is the “analysis” part.• After you draw your conclusions about what you

have read, you development an “argument” that you will then prove in your paper.• You may need to find secondary sources to prove

your argument—this is where the “research” comes in.

In other words…

• It is analysis.• It is about literature.• It is an exploration of a piece of literature for a

specific purpose.• Sometimes it involves RESEARCH of secondary

sources.

How is It “Literary”?

• Usually, a literary analysis will involve a discussion of a text as writing, thus the term literary, which means “having to do with letters.”• This will involve the use

of certain concepts that are very specifically associated with literature.

• -Purdue OWL

What is an Analysis?

• An analysis of a literary work may discuss various things (this is where the thorough reading and thinking comes in)• How the various components of an individual work relate to

each other.• How two separate literary works deal with similar concepts or

forms.• The literary piece’s connection or comparison to some aspect

of your world – social, political, economical, etc.-Purdue OWL

http://viewpure.com/cU1CC1vvh98

So how do we begin?

•Literary analysis is

an ARGUMENT!

What do I do?

• Read a particular piece of literature, like a short story, novella, novel, poem, or play. In our case, we will look at the British and World works we have read.• Look at one or more specified literary devices –

elements of literature• Plot• Character• Theme• Symbolism• Conflict

You may also consider…

• Figurative language• Irony• Setting • Historical connections• Societal connections• Point of view• Personal connections• others

How is Literary Analysis an Argument?

• When writing a literary analysis, you will focus on specific attribute(s) of the text(s).

• When discussing these attributes, you will want to make sure that you are making a specific, arguable point (thesis) about these attributes.

• You will defend this point with reasons and evidence drawn from the text. (Much like a lawyer!)

• -Purdue OWL

So here’s the tricky part…• The most difficult part of writing a literary analysis is

coming up with a good thesis statement. • This statement will guide your entire paper.

How do I define my PURPOSE?• You come up with the thesis of your paper by defining the

purpose of what you are trying to say in the paper.• Your purpose may be chosen for you (like discuss one

THEME of a piece, or compare the story’s protagonist to someone in history, etc.)

• You will identify this purpose in your introductory paragraph which will contain the THESIS Statement.

• AND then you will support or defend your purpose in your body paragraphs.

• Piece of cake!!

THE THESIS STATEMENTviewpure.com/5AAOkoITNBw The Thesis Statement RapThesis Statement: 60 second recaphttp://viewpure.com/m8wN6XIXhvA

What is the thesis statement?• The thesis statement is a STATEMENT.• It states your opinion of the subject and is arguable and

provable.• It acts as the overarching idea of the entire paper.

• It is NOT a question.• It is NOT a summary of facts.• It is NOT just a topic sentence.• Here’s an great way to explain a thesis statement…• http://viewpure.com/5HePQWodWiQ

Example:

• You are asked to analyze the one of the characters in the story The Three Little Pigs.• You decide to talk about the character you find to be

the most interesting—the Big Bad Wolf.• You think about the plot of the story, the description of

the wolf, and knowing what you do about human nature, you come up with the thesis of your paper.

What would be the best example of a thesis statement?

• A. The Big Bad Wolf is a character in the story The Three Little Pigs.

• B. The Big Bad Wolf spent his time chasing and eating many of the pigs in the story The Three Little Pigs.

• C. The Three Little Pigs is a story that most children know.

• D. In the story The Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf is not evil, his actions are simply misunderstood.

The best example would be:

•D !• Remember, you are presenting an argument (opinion)

that you can prove. You may have someone approach you after they hear your thesis and challenge your theory. They could say the Big Bad Wolf is just that—big and bad and nothing more.• Your job now is to PROVE your theory.

• The other choices do not present information that can be proven through argument—they are facts of the story, not opinions.

Testing…• If your thesis cannot be challenged and argued, it is NOT a

good thesis!

Testing…

• The other choices are nice sentences that leave the reader saying, “So what?”

• Is it one sentence?• Do you know the topic?• Is there a clear position on the topic?• Can it be debated?• Do you know how the essay will support

the argument?• Is the point stated clearly with specific and

appropriate language?

Questions to ask…

Next, we work on PROVING the theory…

• You would then use research to prove your theory.• You have seen lines in the text saying that Big Bad felt

misunderstood.• You have seen lines in the text describing Big Bad as a

philanthropist who gives 10% of his gross income to the local home for homeless piglets.

• You might go online and find in reliable journals that people are afraid of wolves through the years and make up stories about them to back up their fears.

• You might find in online sources that wolves are the gentlest creatures in the forest and only eat pigs when they are desperate and close to starvation.

• You would continue to find sources that would prove your theory…

Where else can I find information to prove my thesis?

• Examples from the text:• Direct quotations (word for word statements from the

text)• Summaries of scenes (brief summaries of specific

scenes)• Paraphrase (putting what the author says into your

own words – effective with longer passages)

PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0plq2E9ZjQ&feature=related

http://viewpure.com/g0plq2E9ZjQ

Secondary Sources…

• Other critics’ opinions• Historical and social context• As you research Secondary Sources, it is important to read

carefully and highlight useful passages and quotes.• http://viewpure.com/g0plq2E9ZjQ

What exactly are secondary sources?

• A book or article that discusses the text you are discussing• A book or article that discusses a theory

related to the argument you are making• A book or article that discusses the social and

historical context of the text you are discussing

How Do I Find Secondary Sources?

• Your local library• Reference books of Literary Criticisms• Data bases of Literary Criticisms• Literary periodicals• Online search engines• A bibliography that is part of your text• Ask a teacher or librarian

How do I use these sources?• When you use secondary sources, be sure to show how they

relate to your thesis• Don’t overuse any one secondary source, or for that matter,

secondary sources in general• Remember that this is your paper, your argument—the

secondary sources are just helping you out• Never, never, never plagiarize. Always give credit for your

sources.

-Purdue OWL

Overview of Literary Analysis

• When writing a literary analysis:• Be familiar with literary terms• Analyze specific items• Make an a argument• Make appropriate use of secondary sources• Consult instructors and tutors for help when needed

Where are we going?

Make sure to….

• Look at the LMS • There are tons of resources available in the

LMS and/or Docsharing (depending on your teacher) to help you through the process.•Make sure you are reaching out to your teacher

when you have questions, concerns, issues.

• DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!!!!!!

SMALL GROUP SESSIONS

• Check with your teacher regarding small group specialized sessions about specific parts of the research process.• See if they are going to have small group specific sessions

• Examples• thesis statement• Outline• Parts of an essay• MLA• One-on-one conferencing