Composition

Instructions for the full draft (Rough Draft Part II and the final draft)

Write an 8-10 page literary analysis paper which responds to a problematic and significant question sparked for you by reading Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing.

Your paper must include the following components:

• A title, appropriate for a scholarly audience, that describes the argument you are making and the issue you are discussing in your paper.

• A TSIS section (which may or may not be separate from the first introductory paragraph depending on how much contextual information you need to provide in your introduction). This section should clearly explain the broader conversation you’re joining and the argument you’re responding to (including the sorts of people—names, if available—to whom you’re responding and a full and fair summary of their argument with some quoted material). Remember that because this novel is very recent, you might not find literary criticism relevant to your topic, in which case your TS might be something Jesmyn Ward said in an interview, or a response to a literary scholar discussing another novel of hers (and you would be expanding by shedding light on how she treats a similar theme/topic in her most recent novel, adding to our understanding of Ward’s body of work). There should be a bridge explaining how you are building on their work. Then the claim that follows should be clearly connected to the “they say” and should follow the requirements for claims discussed in class (arguable, literary—that is, it’s about the novel, not a value judgment, not an observation, not obvious without requiring close reading, etc.). If your paper does not have a claim, it will not receive a passing grade.

• Your body paragraphs should build your claim with evidence. The evidence will consist of close reading of the film plus relevant information—including historical/social context—that you found through library research. Remember that close reading means analysis of specific quotations from the novel, including analysis of literary techniques which you unpack and interpret for their deeper meaning. Papers that do not include close reading will incur substantial point deductions and may not receive a passing grade.

• Your paper should have smooth transitions between paragraphs, clear connecting phrases between sentences in a given paragraph, and each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence that connects the paragraph to the claim. Remember that a quotation or question is not a topic sentence. Quotations should be framed with your own words to integrate them smoothly into the paper.

• Your conclusion should not simply restate your claim word for word, but should leave the reader with a sense of why your argument is important and what it contributes to broader knowledge on your topic.

• Your paper must include quotations from the sources you consult with correct MLA-style citation whenever you draw from another person’s ideas (even if you are not using a direct quotation). Remember that sometimes you might want to paraphrase so that your essay is not too heavy on quotations, obscuring your own voice and argument; conversely, you will want to include enough quotations to lend your paper legitimacy and authority.

• Your paper should include an Annotated Works Cited. Papers which do not have an Annotated Works Cited or which include a simple Works Cited without the paragraph-long descriptions of sources will incur significant point deductions and may not receive a passing grade, since the research element of this assignment is so central. THE ANNOTATED WORKS CITED IS NOT INCLUDED WITHIN THE 8-10 PAGE LIMIT. (This means your full paper, including Annotate Works Cited, will very likely run over 8 pages.)

• Follow all formatting requirements listed on the syllabus, staple the paper, and include the integrity form.