Answer the following with a ten-page essay:
How important are the concepts of entrapment and liberty in “Sonny’s Blues” and two other pieces of fiction, poetry, drama, and/or songwriting that we examined this semester?
One note about this: You may not use as one of your three primary sources a poem or story that you already examined in one of your two short papers.
The following appears in your syllabus:
Term Paper (40%)
The research paper should consist of at least ten typed pages of text, should examine/assess at least one primary source, and must include references to at least eight instructor-approved secondary sources. Topics must be analyses of poems, short stories, or plays and must be approved by the instructor. The paper should reflect a critical engagement with and analysis of a work or works of fiction, poetry, or drama. Your argument should contain a clear thesis, be organized well, contain few or no grammatical errors, and employ MLA style. Here are some clarifications:
♣ In the course of composing your ten-page term paper, you must employ some of the expository styles you learned in English Composition I. [Hint: exemplification, comparison/contrast, process analysis, and/or definition/classification would be the most useful here.] Remember—the purpose of your essay is to persuade the reader that your opinion is original yet informed and full of cogent points. Relevant citation of eight reputable secondary sources should help you achieve this goal.
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♣ Your paper must examine “Sonny’s Blues” and two other works of literature or songwriting that we have examined this term. ♣ Within your paper, you must cite at least eight reputable sources (all from the library’s EBSCO database) to lend credibility to your argument. ♣ Each direct quotation of or allusion to a secondary source should consist of no more than three sentences (total). Use ellipses to skip over irrelevant matter. Your three sentences (or less) may be tightly grouped in one quote or spread throughout your ten-page paper. ♣ While you may use the following, they will not count as any of the eight acceptable sources: dictionaries, encyclopedias (except Wikipedia), thesauri, and religious texts (the Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, etc.). ♣ Wikipedia and other user-edited databases are disallowed as reputable secondary sources in your college-level papers. In fact, unless approved by the instructor, all research for this term paper that is not done through the library’s EBSCO database is disallowed. Learn to view the college library’s database collection as a valuable research tool if you haven’t already.
♣ You must document your citations using proper MLA style and formatting. All necessary guidelines can be found on the library’s website and in The Harbrace Handbook (one of the texts you have access to via your Cengage account).
♣ To submit your paper, you must upload it to the Cengage Turnitin platform, as you did your first two papers. Use the third option (“Research/Term Paper”).
♣ Overall, your term paper’s grade will be determined through the following factors:
20% Coherent and Lucid Essay Structure 20% Viability of Argument / Cogent Use of Eight Secondary Sources 20% Vitality of Language (i.e., be interesting)
20% Impeccable Grammar, Syntax, and Punctuation
20% Correct Formatting for Citations and Works Cited Page (MLA Style)
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Three rules to keep in mind at all times:
♣ You may not use as one of your three primary sources a poem or story that one of your short papers was about. Go drink from other wells. Demonstrate you have read widely and attentively this semester.
♣ You should certainly cite the three primary texts significantly (more than three sentences from each one, obviously). However, you must discuss every moment you cite. Remember—you may not cite more than three sentences from any particular secondary source. ♣ Rock steady. Bang a gong. (You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows….)
You should view this paper as a culmination of the expository and critical reading skills you have garnered in both English Composition I & II. Good luck with your efforts. I sincerely look forward to reading your paper.