Formal Outline

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Michael Gomez Professor Dybala English 1302: CRN ##### 29 November 2021

“The Yellow Wallpaper”: Writing for Freedom Research Paper Sample Thesis and Body paragraph I. Introduction A. State the author, title and an intriguing aspect of the literary work to arouse interest

in your topic. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” stuns the medical community with its critique of “the rest cure” and questions the institution of marriage through its portrayal of the narrator and her physician husband, John. B. Narrow the topic with a more specific focus or question. Set in a secluded “mansion” in which the narrator is forced to reside in one room with a sickly yellow wallpaper that she abhors and bars on the windows, the limits placed on her freedom for the sake of her medical treatment become ironically dismal as her condition worsens. C. Thesis: State the thesis by narrowing the topic more specifically and stating your claim

(argumentative interpretation) followed by a minimum of four subtopics that chart the organizing principles of your essay.)

Despite the domination of her spouse and ultimately the patriarchal social forces, the protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” in solidarity with other imagined women revolts against her imprisonment and isolation through writing in her journal, questioning her treatment, analyzing and interpreting the wallpaper, and finally removing the paper and achieving symbolic freedom for the entrapped nineteenth century women. III. Subtopic One A. Topic Sentence-Re-introduce the first subtopic stated in your thesis and add your

argumentative claim. The nameless narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” recognizes her plight and uses writing as a wedge against her entrapment in the nursery in their summer home. B. Add information to further clarify the significance of this claim Her description of the room parallels her predicament in her marriage. C. Introduce and state a quote from the story as evidence of your claim. Expressing herself in her private journal, comforts her: “John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster” (553). D. Discuss the quote in 1 or 2 sentences. In writing, the narrator reveals her true feelings and her consciousness of her repressed voice. E.. Introduce an additional quote from secondary source #1 (journal article/library

resource) to support this claim. She describes how the wallpaper has been peeled away by the children who occupied the room before her: “the wallpaper . . . is torn off in spots and it sticketh closer than a brother—they must have had perseverance as well as hatred” (Gilman “Yellow” 546). F. Discuss the quote in 1 or 2 sentences. Her consideration of the former occupants of this room demonstrates how her journal writing connects her with other repressed people in her society.

Commented [MD1]: The abbreviated title is only included in the in-text citation if you are using more than one source by Gilman in your essay. I will also be quoting from Gilman’s “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’” so I will include “Yellow” or “Why” in each of my Gilman citations.

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G. Like the children who damaged this room, Jane begins to be repulsed by the pattern in the paper. H. Introduce another quote from the secondary source to develop your interpretation. In her psychoanalytic article, Seuss notes that “the woman in the wallpaper is, according to Jane, restricted by the front pattern, which she first describes as ‘that silly and conspicuous front design’ and later likens to the intensely negative image of ‘bars’” (qtd. in Seuss 93). I. Discuss a particular word choice in the quote to zoom in on its significance. Symbolically, if she can remove the wallpaper, she can free herself from the oppressive restrictions of her husband and the medical treatment that is recommended by noted physicians, such as “Weir Mitchell” (Gilman “Yellow” 546). J. Close the discussion with 1-3 sentences explaining your interpretation of the

significance of these three quotes and how they provide evidence to support your topic sentence. Gilman’s description of the paper as masculine, brother-like, suggests that women are so repressed by men that they must continually resist their domination and that the power is so oppressive that it may instill “hatred.” K.. Closing sentence As her focus on the wallpaper develops, the narrator actually revolts against it and begins to strip it from the walls secretively as if both John and his sister have conspired with the wallpaper against her.

Commented [MD2]: Use single quotations marks for a quote within a quote.

Commented [MD3]: Add qtd. in to the citation when your quotation includes an indirect source. Always cite the author that you are reading.