FOR Ultimate_Writer

2 ½ - 3 pages plus a works cited page. Secondary sources help us frame the questions that motivate and guide our research into primary sources. For this those reasons, it is important to be attentive and critical—not necessarily in a negative sense—when reading secondary sources. This assignment is intended to develop your skills in reading and criticizing secondary sources.  For this assignment, you will do further research on one of the assigned poems. First, select a poem that you would like to learn more about. Once you have decided which poem you want to research, choose a good database article about the poem.   Discuss the main points the source is making about the poem, using the questions below as your guide. Use a combination of summary, paraphrase, and quotation in your discussion. Also, you will need to refer to the poem itself. Include a Works Cited entry for the source as well as for the poem. As an alternative to using one article, you may choose to use two and compare/contrast them.  The sample student paper uses this approach.  You should start early looking for articles.  There are a lot of articles on some poems, not many articles on others, but you won’t know until you look, so give yourself plenty of time to look. Keep in mind that you must use the databases from PTC’s library, accessible only by password from the PTC library page. Do NOT use the general Web for your material. By general Web sources, I mean sources such as, but not limited to, Wikipedia, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, reviews on sites like Barnes and Noble.  These general sources will not be accepted. Your paper should be at least 2 ½ to 3 pages in length. Although this paper may not be structured like a typical essay, it will count as an essay grade. Here are the questions you should address:

1. What is the author’s thesis—the main point he is trying to establish?  (“Author” here refers to the author of the database article, not the poet.)

2. What are the important parts of his argument?

3. How does he support the argument?

4. How successfully does the author support his thesis? Does the argument convince you?

5. Do the sources support the argument adequately?

6. What questions does the source raise for you?

All of these questions are interrelated; your paper should not be a simply a list of answers to individual questions, but a coherent essay with an introduction and conclusion. It is not a book report, which would address only the first three questions; instead, it is a critical essay or critique of the source.  Your handling of the last two questions is what makes your paper a critical essay or critique rather than a simple book report Tips for Writing the Paper After you have finished the first draft of your essay, ask yourself the following questions about your draft and then revise any weaknesses you discover before you turn in your essay.

1. Are all my sentences and paragraphs directed toward the point I want?

2. Have I avoided vague generalizations that consume space but give little information? (Try to support any generalizations by specific and appropriate details from the poems. Avoid lengthy quotations by using brief summations in your own words. Be sure to give proper credit if you use ideas found in secondary sources.)

3. Have I moved beyond the “book report” and presented real analysis of the arguments of the secondary source?

4. Have I prepared my essay in MLA format?

5. Have I proofread my essay carefully?  Have I edited my own work with a critical eye in order to eliminate incorrect or unworkable grammar, punctuation, structure, and spelling?