So Much Blue Literary analysis

English Composition II

Paper #3: Final Paper:

Literary Analysis Research Essay

Objectives: Write a well-organized and focused 8-10 page literary analysis using :

The word stereotype is used to refer to a commonly unfair and often false conception that an individual may have about a person or object with a certain characteristic. Gender stereotypes have been a very long time and are frequently used today’s society across the board including literature. Percival Everett challenges dominant stereotypes about masculinity, love and the American family in his novel So Much Blue. Everett uses a diverse array of characters such as a black painter (kevin) and a war criminal (the bummer) as well as a midlife crisis (Victoire )to illustrate these stereotypes.

· Demonstrate that you can put forward your own unique position and interpretation about different works of literature, and then defend your points using evidence, examples, analysis, and argument

· Choose your own debatable topic then write a persuasive essay about that topic. Your topic must be about either Boyle or Everett’s novel or both. You can certainly discuss some of the visual art we have viewed regarding Boyle and immigration or the many references to visual artists in Everett -- if appropriate to your topic—i.e. use it to illustrate a point, explain an idea, emphasize an interesting concept, etc.—but don’t use a compare/contrast to the visual art as your dominant framework.

· Persuade an audience that your thesis and ideas are valid by using supporting quotations, and persuasive arguments. Be sure to use literary terminology [i.e. the tools in your toolbox that we have discussed throughout the semester]

· Exhibit your ability to integrate outside (secondary) research effectively in a literary essay; you must use a minimum of THREE outside sources

· Use supporting textual evidence and outside research; you MUST use direct quotations and examples from the primary texts!

· This is a college level essay, so be sure to write in a way that is complex, intelligent, creative, interesting, compelling, and reasonable

Strategies:

· You MUST use evidence (direct quotations and examples) from the primary text(s) to support your ideas

· Use supporting textual evidence, descriptive analysis, and some outside research. You must use outside research (minimum of 3 sources) to bolster your interpretation for this paper; be sure to integrate quotations/ideas from other writers in an intelligent and constructive way that compliments your own analysis

· Some websites are fine, but please try using our library databases for most of your research: Literature Resource Center, JSTOR, Academic Search Premier, and others. The best sources are essays from these databases, critical academic books, and scholarly articles. Book reviews and author interviews are also acceptable.

· Please do not use SparkNotes, Wikipedia or other similar sites within the paper itself. You are certainly welcome to read these sites—they are fine for basic reference and summary—but don’t use them as evidence in the paper itself. In other words, you need to probe the topic more deeply than what these summary study guides tend to offer.

· Effectively integrate your quotations and sources

· Organize the essay in a coherent and unified manner

· Stay focused on your overall sense of purpose and explain how your ideas and evidence support your thesis

· Revise your essay for grammar and usage

Some Things to Avoid:

· Avoid generalizing assumptions about ALL human beings or ALL people of a particular culture or gender

· Avoid sweeping generalizations about the text, culture, history, or literature

· Avoid writing a thesis that is not debatable and/or easily answered

· Do Not plagiarize the words or ideas of others

· Avoid writing a biographical/historical sketch of the author

· Avoid writing a simple historical sketch of the author’s time period

· Your audience is me (i.e. your professor). So, you do not need to summarize the plot or define simple terms. But, you may need to stipulate definitions or explain a difficult concept to demonstrate your own understanding

Logistics:

1) Use parenthetical MLA documentation to quote and cite page #’s

2) Use a Works Cited page that follows MLA standards

3) Paper must be typed, double-spaced, and approximately 8-10 pages long

4) Use a standard font (Times, Garamond, etc.), 10-12 point, and normal margins

5) Please include a title page with the following information

· Your Name

· Professor Tursi

· English Composition II

· Title of Your Essay

· Date

6) Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner. Type your last name before the page number, a single space, comma, then the page #; e.g. Smith, 5

· Rough Draft DUE as a digital copy or hard copy at the beginning of your Conference (either Tuesday 5/1/18 or Thursday 5/3/18)

· Final Revision submitted as a Hard Copy AND to turnitin.com at the beginning of class on Thursday 5/10/18

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