a 5 pages essay

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Overall -- this is a good topic ("The Lost Troop"), but your thesis/central argument is unclear to me. Hone in on what you are saying about this story, and find secondary sources that support this argument.

You spend a lot of time summarizing the story -- the goal of this paper is to state an argument/idea about the story, then support that argument.

A clearly stated thesis might be: "the main character in "The Lost Troop" feels his unit is without purpose, and this causes problems for them."

If that's your thesis -- look for evidence of that in the text. Quote from the story where you find evidence to back up your argument. Find at least three secondary sources that you can quote from that also speak to some argument of your thesis -- they might be about the story directly, or you might find articles that criticize the actual military in Afghanistan in the same way. You might find an article that talks about the negative impact the military is having on the people of Afghanistan.

· Revise for clarity/word choice -- I highly recommend a visit to the Writing Center this week. You can make an appointment, or just drop in.

· This is largely summary -- how do you INTERPRET the story? (see the example of a literary research paper in Norton for guidance/inspiration)

· Above and beyond summarizing this paper -- what is your argument about it? Put forth some kind of opinion or point of view -- then back it up with evidence, from secondary sources.

· Right now your secondary sources are on how to write an essay -- that’s not what we’re looking for here. Choose sources that contribute to your discussion of this story (or to your thesis statement, which right now seems to be missing.)