Analytical

Length & Format: 6-8 pages. Double-spaced. 12-point font in Times New Roman. Page numbers in the top right corner. Your name in the top right corner. Include a title. (You can decide on a title after you have written the paper.)

Analytical Paper: What makes the paper analytical is your argument or thesis.

Namely, in this paper, you should form an explicit argument related to your topic. Once you have an argument, your aim is to make the reader understand why this argument matters, and why you are right: use (but not overuse) quotes, explain your train of thought, think of any possible counterarguments and address them. This process should help you become a better thinker and a more persuasive writer.

What is NOT an argument? Something that (almost) no one would contest; a statement that is obvious. “Esther Greenwood underwent electroshock treatment” is not a good thesis or argument. Anyone who has read the story would have to agree, at least in general. There are no valid counterarguments to this. (Of course, if you argued that she did not undergo electroshock treatment, that would be an argument, but you would have to substantiate this claim with textual evidence - which would be very difficult or impossible

to do.)

What IS an argument? It is a claim that can be supported by evidence (in our case, textual evidence). It is a claim against which someone can argue. It might be particularly important to think of Karl Popper’s theory of scientific claims: they can be argued to be true or false. If there is no evidence that supports or refutes a claim, that claim is not a scientific claim; it is not an argument. An absurd and often cited example of this is the following claim: “We are all controlled by cats from Mars.” If I say this, I have no way to support my claim, and you have no way to prove me wrong. That means that I am in the realm of statements that pertain to belief - not science or evidence.

What is the purpose of this paper? This paper will help you practice good

argumentation in any field. If you discover something interesting in a lab, you will have to share that with the rest of the scientific community in order to be recognized for your achievement. If you have an idea for a business, you will have to write a business plan and give arguments and evidence that demonstrate that your plan is viable. You will have to predict and address any counterarguments.

Style: MLA

Example of an Argument or a Thesis:

“I argue that Esther’s mother in Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar exacerbates her child’s emotional and psychological problems.”

“I argue that The Plague invites the reader to consider their role in society.”

ESSAY TOPICS

Each of you is unique. Each of you has a view and perspective on these texts. This is why I am not a big fan of giving you three prompts from which to choose. I would prefer if you wrote about whatever caught your interest. Anything that drew your attention, made you think, angered or delighted you is probably a good topic for a paper. Think of your audience. We always write for an audience, and your audience is your reader and grader.