Essay #3: Researching Biographical/Historical Criticism of Literature
Assignment:
You are writing a 5-7 page research paper (double-spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font in Times New Roman) in which you will integrate your thoughts on a work of literature with the thoughts of other critics whose article(s), websites, etc. you will document. Your thesis should involve a biographical/historical aspect of the author and his/her time as it relates to the work. For more support, see chapter 44 in your text (1537-1557).
You may choose any of these works:
1. These two poems MUST be used together: Maya Angelous My Arkansas” and Abel Meerepols Strange Fruit (on Canvas).
2. Langston Hughes Theme for English B (Canvas).
3. One or more of Claude McKay’s poems: “If We Must Die” (841), “Lynching” (842), and “America” (843). You may use a maximum of two from this group.
4. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Canvas) or “The Raven” (Canvas).
5. William Heyens The Trains” (644), Kotov (Canvas), or Yevgeny Yevtushenkos Babi Yar (Canvas). You may use one of these poems or a maximum of two from this group.
6. Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” (Canvas).
Research:
You will use at least FOUR sources in your paper as support for your argument. You MUST document and cite all of your sources in MLA format at all times. You MUST use a scholarly article for ONE of your sources.
***Make sure you have a TITLE for your essay
***Make sure you have a WORKS CITED page for your essay
***Remember your Works Cited page does NOT count toward the total 5-7 page requirement!
***Don’t forget to cite the poem/short story you are analyzing in the Works Cited page!
Getting Started:
Research the author, other authors who may have been an influence, and the history of the time period in which these pieces were written. Try to make connections between this information and what is found in the text you selected to focus on. Then begin your research by using key words from the themes/concepts that you have come up with. Integrate the thoughts of previous critics with your thoughts so that they support your argument, or perhaps so that you refute the thesis of another critic. Your focus is still on the text, but you will be showing me how well you can synthesize your reading of literature with the readings of others.
THIS IS THE RUBRIC, PLEASE CHOOSE THE EASIEST WRITER TO MAKE IT ON BASED ON THE OPTIONS AND IT WAS MUST 4 SOURCES AND 2 MUST BE BASED OFF SCHOLARLY ARTICLES
