Need Writing Help (Wk7RP)

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Part II: Topic and thesis

Topic and Literary Theory: For the research, I plan to write on the works of William Faulkner and Katherine Mansfield. I aim to explore the theme of societal alienation on how the characters were left out by society or disconnected from society and how this loneliness impacted the character's actions. I will use the literary theory to examine the character's impacts on them as individuals and their effects on others to find out the consequences of societal alienation on their emotional well-being and actions.

Research Question: How do the stories, A Rose for Emily and Miss Brill explore societal isolation and how this loneliness impacts the character's feelings and how they act in the stories? How do the characters in the stories attempt to cope with their feelings of loneliness and isolation, both individually and in their interactions with others, and how does this theme reflect broader on the societal issues of inclusion and exclusion?

Working Thesis Statement: This paper aims to examine how the stories of Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner show how the characters of the stories experience loneliness and isolation from society, how the isolation affects their feeling and actions, and their emotional well-being, how the character's societal alienation impacted the characters feeling disconnected from others and how the character's coped with isolation individually and socially.

Works Cited entries: Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Archive.org, 1930, https://archive.org/stream/ARoseForEmily1930/A_Rose_for_Emily_djvu.txt .

Mansfield, Katherine. "Miss Brill." Project Gutenberg, 1920, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1429/1429-h/1429-h.htm#chap09 .

Research Paper Checklist

Research Paper Checklist: 

______ Did I review my professor's feedback over my topic idea (from week 5) and the annotated bibliography (from week 6)? 

______ Did I review the Research Paper Instructions (in week 7) before submitting my paper? 

______ Does my paper meet the length requirement stated in the instructions? Does it meet the minimum research requirement stated in instructions (3 or more research sources, which does NOT include the literature itself)?

______ Is my paper in MLA format (12 Times New Roman, Double Spaced, Headings and Centered Title on page 1)? 

______ Does my introduction clearly establish the literary author(s) and work(s) involved, and provide a clear thesis statement? 

______ Does my research paper make an argument about a literary text (ie, does it argue for an interpretation of one or more literary works? Is it an actual argument that includes critical thinking and analysis of the literature itself, and not just a plot summary, author biography, or history/sociology paper that fails to specifically analyze the literature)? 

______ Do I support my opinions/ideas frequently with qualified research or direct textual evidence? At the same time, do I also make sure not to rely too heavily on sources to do all my thinking/writing for me? (Pro tip: as a rule of thumb, I recommend keeping direct quotations brief, restricting them to 1-3 lines, and to average about one quotation per paragraph tops, in order to avoid over-reliance on others' work. Remember that paraphrases of others' ideas ALSO requires in-text citations, but cited paraphrases allow you to retain your writing voice).

______ Did I remember to use quotations/paraphrases/in-text citations when using research sources in the paper, and/or when quoting from a literary text? 

______ Are all the sources listed on my Works Cited page clearly mentioned in the paper itself? Are all the sources mentioned in the paper itself listed somewhere on the Works Cited page? 

______ Am I turning this paper in on or before the deadline?

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Also, some friendly reminders concerning how the annotated bibliography and works cited pages differ:  

- The annotated bibliography (from week 6) is NOT a direct substitute for a works cited page at the end of the research paper that you'll submit in week 7. You still need a works cited page on the last page of the research paper; however, this works cited page at the end of your research paper will ONLY list entries for the sources you used in the actual paper, and it will NOT include any annotations (the paragraph summaries under each source) that you wrote for the annotated bibliography assignment in week 6.

-The sources on the works cited page can be different than the ones on the bibliography (in other words, you may have added or changed sources since then if necessary, but you proceed at your own risk when doing so). 

-Primary sources (the stories, plays or poems you wrote about) should be included on the works cited list, but they do NOT count as part of your research requirement (so on the works cited page, you'd have all the secondary sources needed to meet the research requirement PLUS entries for the stories/poems/plays you wrote about). 

Week 7 Research Essay

Purpose

The research paper assignment for this course is due at the end of week 7. The skills required in the successful completion of this assignment are the concluding step in the ENG 102 sequence, effectively displaying your skills as a writer, researcher, and critical thinker. 

Research Paper Instructions

Your research paper should be an argumentative essay that makes a specific claim about some aspect(s) of 2-3 of the literary works assigned in class. The claim should incorporate some specific school of literary theory discussed in class. Support this claim and argument in a coherent, developed, and organized essay of  at least 1200-1500 words minimum  ( not counting the works cited page) and must also successfully use  at least 3 critical secondary sources (The annotated Bibliography #3-5 - attached )  accessed through the relevant school Library databases.

The bulleted list below provides general options for paper topics. The entirety of the class reading assignments can be found in the Course Syllabus, under “Course Schedule.” The list below provides general options for paper topics:

· A topic focusing on at least 2 texts (but no more than 3) by different authors. All of the chosen texts must come from class-assigned literature unless given prior approval by the instructor. (Week 5 Skill builder - attached)

Tips and Reminders

Re-read the texts on which you want to base your paper. 

Once you have decided on a topic (which will be begun in Week 5 – see skill builder), begin doing preliminary research (you will need to do a lot of research for this assignment anyway). Read what other literary critics have said. This will help you to further narrow down your topic, and even to find some of the sources you will end up using in the paper. Remember that you are a literary critic too—this means you should feel free to question and disagree with the interpretations you read.  

Make sure your thesis is one that is  arguable and  requires research to effectively answer or prove.  Don’t be afraid to take a leap and put forward a new, creative, and/or unique interpretation, provided you can support that claim with reasonable textual evidence and research. For more information, make sure to review the online learning resources assigned throughout the quarter.    

Your paper must incorporate information from outside sources found (#3-5 annotated bibliography) in the literature databases at School Library or relevant resources linked in class. Remember that you have three methods for incorporating outside information into any paper: you can quote (use the source’s exact words), paraphrase (put the source’s words into your own) or summarize (boil down information from a source to a 1-2 sentence summary in your own words). Also remember that each of these methods needs to be cited using correct MLA formatting and documentation; Review grade feedback on past response papers for help with this!  Again, research outside of class is restricted to relevant scholarly articles located at school Library.

Avoid unnecessary plot summary and/or biographical information. Assume that your reader has already read the work you are discussing-- readers don't need your help understanding what happens in a story; they need your help understanding why these things happened and what they might mean. 

Organize your argument to maximize its effectiveness. Your introduction should include a thesis. Each paragraph of your paper should include a topic sentence that references your thesis. Each sentence in each paragraph should directly support that paragraph’s topic sentence. 

Finally, don’t forget the little things. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be perfect. Edit and revise your work. Manage your time efficiently to allow yourself the opportunity to read and reread your final paper multiple times. 

Discussion

Student Name

Lecture Name

Course

Date

Works Cited:

Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Archive.org, 1930, https://archive.org/stream/ARoseForEmily1930/A_Rose_for_Emily_djvu.txt.

Annotation:

This source is a digitized version of the short story "A Rose for Emily" written by William Faulkner. The story is about a woman named Emily Grierson who is isolated from society and eventually descends into madness. This source is relevant to my research topic on societal alienation as it portrays the consequences of isolation on the character's mental health and actions. The story highlights the theme of loneliness and its impact on individuals and their interactions with others. A quote from this source that could be useful for my research paper is: "Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Sartoris, the mayor... remitted her taxes" (Faulkner). This quote emphasizes how Miss Emily's isolation was not solely her own doing but was also enforced by the expectations and traditions of her town.

2) Mansfield, Katherine. "Miss Brill." Project Gutenberg, 1920, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1429/1429-h/1429-h.htm#chap09.

Annotation:

The complete text of Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill" can be found in this source. Due to Miss Brill's sense of disconnection from everyone around her, the novel delves into the issue of loneliness and isolation. Since this source will be another primary text that I analyze for my paper, it is pertinent to my research. This passage from the source, "And what Miss Brill would like to do now was go home and sit in her room with her fur and have her dinner," could be helpful for my research project. This passage demonstrates Miss Brill's need for company while also emphasizing how alone and lonely she feels.

3) Novitz, David. "Lonely Characters in Fiction." The Midwest Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 4, 2005, pp. 373-388.

David Novitz analyzes how lonely persons are portrayed in fiction in this academic paper. Novitz contends that the theme of loneliness frequently appears in literature and is employed to examine societal problems and the human condition. The essay explores several instances of lonely characters from diverse literary works and examines the impact of their loneliness on their feelings and behaviors. This material is pertinent to my study because it offers a more comprehensive analysis of the literary theme of loneliness and how it connects to societal problems. A helpful quote from this source is, "Loneliness, when it is portrayed in fiction, is often presented as a deeply distressing and disorienting experience that has profound effects on the psychological well-being of individuals" (Novitz, 374). This quotation highlights the emotional toll that social isolation has on people and lends credence to the notion that it has a profound effect on fictional characters.

4) Zolič, V. "Societal Alienation: A Conceptual Analysis." Journal of Philosophy, vol. 9, no. 1, 2017, pp. 75-91.

In this academic paper, V. Zolič explores the idea of societal alienation and offers a conceptual breakdown of its different aspects. The various manifestations of societal alienation—such as social exclusion and isolation—as well as how they impact people and their relationships with one another are examined in this article. Zolič contends that separation from society has a negative impact on people's emotional health and might result in social and psychological issues. Because it offers a theoretical foundation for comprehending the literary issue of societal alienation and its wider effects on people and society, this source is pertinent to my research. A useful quotation from this source is, "Societal alienation should not be understood solely as an individual's subjective experience of being disconnected or excluded from society, but as a complex interaction between societal structures and individual actions and experiences" (Zolič, 77). This quotation emphasizes how society and people are intertwined and how societal systems contribute to loneliness and isolation.

5) Wilcox, Leonard. "The Consequences of Social Exclusion: An Examination of Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Emotional Well-Being." Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychological Disorders, vol. 3, no. 2, 2015, pp. 214-226.

Leonard Wilcox examines the effects of social exclusion on people's mental health in this study paper. The study looks at the connections between social isolation, loneliness, and other emotional well-being issues like anxiety and depression. The results of the study demonstrate the damaging impacts of isolation on people's mental health by showing a substantial relationship between negative emotional outcomes and feelings of social exclusion and loneliness. This source is pertinent to my work since it offers actual data demonstrating how societal alienation affects people's feelings. A helpful quote from this site is, "Social exclusion and feelings of loneliness can have profound effects on individuals' emotional well-being, leading to increased rates of depression and anxiety" (Wilcox, 216). This quote supports the argument that societal isolation has significant consequences for individuals' psychological health and reinforces the need to address issues of inclusion and exclusion in society.