On the following pages is a sample research paper taken from Sharo n Sorenson's The
Research Paper (Amsco Publication, 1999). Please do not attempt to use this paper as your
own. To do so would constitute plagiarism. Students should also be aware of the fact that
we have revised certain portions and fabricated sources for illustration purposes.
- 24 -
Gish 1
Terry Gish
Ms. Shirley Everett
(Note: Use 1”margins top, left, and right. Bottom margin may
be 1-1 1/2”)
English I
Introductory
statement;
refers to
literary work
20 January 2000
Winners and Losers
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the difficulties of the Great Depression drove
the Joad family from their home and forced them to become nomads. On the other hand, the
Sets up
comparison/contrast of thesis
Gish family had no trouble holding onto their land during this period of economic crisis. In
many respects, the two families shared common backgrounds. Both families were from the
Establishes
similarities in
order to
emphasize
differences
South; both started out in the Depression as landowners; both had families with multiple
children. The Gishes and the Joads shared these three obvious similarities; yet due to their own
strengths, the Gishes felt less than a tremor of the economic quake that shook the fictional lives
of the Joads.
Thesis statement
Piety is often one of the strongest life preservers in the sea of despair, even in the
First topic
sentence
financial despair of the Great Depression. Strong religious beliefs, something the Joads lacked,
pulled the Gish family through tough times. The Grapes of Wrath character Casey, an unofficial
member of the Joad family, moves from preaching about God to criticizing Him. Even though
Gives
details
from
literature
he is a former servant of God, Casey ultimately professes that he does not “know nobody named
Identifies page
number in
Jesus” (24) and says his “heart ain’t in it” (24) anymore. On the contrary, the Gish family
novel on which
quotation is
marched ceremoniously into church every Sunday and sat in the pews with straight backs and found. Note:
Steinbeck’s
name is
wide eyes. The church was small and could not hold a great many people, but it did hold a greatunnecessary
because it has
been
deal of love for God. The poverty of the outside world was forgotten when the wealth of heavenalready
mentioned.
was at hand. Under the circumstances, however, perhaps the Joads should not be compared to
Transitional phrase begins contrast
Reader criticism (if part of assignment)
- 25 -
Gish 2
the Gishes. It is impossibly difficult to thank God for food when there is none. It is hard to pray
for more good health when nothing but sickness and death loom. The Gishes’ fortune was that
Summarizes
Joad
condition;
clarifies
contrast
they had the will and the opportunity to believe in their religion. The Joads, on a sadder note,
lived in a world where God and heaven were for the rich, and the poor knew only hell (Wagner).
Another key in surviving the Great Depression was family unity. As James Owen Gish
stated in a personal interview, his family “was very close” (12/23/91). Whenever a crisis came
to one of its members, the family would band together to face it. Even a son coming home after
a long day of planting was met with the welcome of his entire family. The family that prayed
Second topic
sentence
together did, indeed, stay together; and the Gishes prayed very often. The Joads, on the other
hand, fell apart like their car. Although Ma Joad “savagely protests to the break-up of the
family” (Bluestone 105), her protests do not stop Al, Connie, and Noah from leaving the fold.
Sets up contrast;
gives details from
literature
Another nail is struck into the family coffin when Ma appears to go “jackrabbit” (Steinbeck 185)
Critical
support
and even tells Pa to “drive on” (249) while she bumps along in the back of the car with Grandma
Joad’s corpse. Whether because of poverty or insanity, the Joads cannot attain the winning
power of family togetherness possessed by the Gishes. The cliché that blood is thicker than
Summarizes
contrast
water must certainly be true; but in the Dust Bowl, blood satisfied no one’s thirst.
Some traits that might have seemed like advantages at the time of the Depression were
ultimately insignificant. The fact that the Joads were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, for
example, did not help them in their time of need. Surprisingly, however, race did not adversely
affect the Gishes. As Steinbeck’s biographer Richard O’Conner claims, the white Joad family
are forced to move after their “farm mortgage is foreclosed, and they lose their land” (67). The
implication in historian William Katz’s comments bears consideration: “There was not enough
In-text citation of author; only
page reference needed
- 26 -
Transitional
sentence
Gish 3
work,” (24) even for white males. On the contrary, Grandfather Gish, whose father was biracial,
went through the Depression as if it were nothing more than a rumor. At a time when, as analyst
Peter Lisca writes, “truth had run amuck, drunken among prejudice” (79), no one gave any
trouble to the Gishes or their farmland which spanned nearly a hundred acres. The family was
never rich, yet never poor. They were a respected family despite their mixed heritage, while the
Joads were called “degenerate, sexual maniacs” (Steinbeck 312) despite their place among the
majority. Apparently, during the Great Depression, the color of someone’s skin was not nearly
as important as the color of money he could earn.
Concluding sentence
Historians suggest that the Great Depression dramatically affected everyone, but some
faced far more difficulties than others. The Joads suffered greatly, while the Gishes felt virtually
no effects. Several matters could give an edge over economic despair, but the Joads knew none
of them. What was the use of keeping a family together if they could never agree? Even though
they were “racially correct,” the Joads went wrong. The Depression was like a terrible game that
truly divided the economy’s winners and losers.
Note: comma is inside the quotation marks.
Concluding simile; reflects title
- 27 -
Conclusion
emphasized
contract;
asks a
rhetorical
question
only
Gish 4
Works Cited
Bluestone, George. “The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Ed. Robert Murray Davis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972. 102-121.
Gish, James Owen. Personal interview. 23 December 1991.
Katz, William. An Album of the Great Depression. New York: Franklin Watts, 1978.
Lisca, Peter. “The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Robert
Murray Davis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972. 75-101.
O’Conner, Richard. John Steinbeck. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. 1939. New York: Penguin Books, 1979.
Wagner, Thomas. “The World of the Joads.” Rpt. in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism.
Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. 378-79.
The Works Cited page is
used to list only those
works actually cited in the
paper
- 28 -
Gish 5
References
Bard, Richard. “The Grapes of Wrath Celebrated 50 Years After Its First Pub lication.” 23 April
1989. The University of Southern Mississippi. 1 Aug. 2002
<http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~wsimkins/bard.html>.
A References page is used to
list works that were referred
to and/or cited from
Bluestone, George. “The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays.
Ed. Robert Murray Davis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972. 102-121.
Carpenter, Frederic I. “The Philosophical Joads.” Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism.
Vol. 59. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1990. 326-328.
Davis, Robert M. “The World of John Steinbeck’s Joads.” World Literature Today 64.3
(SU 1990): 401+. MasterFile Premier. EBSCOhost. Cherokee Media Center,
Marlton, NJ. 1 Aug. 2002 <http://ehostvgw20.epnet.com/>.
Gish, James Owen. Personal interview. 23 December 1991.
“The Grapes of Wrath.” Magill Book Reviews. 1995. Magill On Literature. EBSCOhost.
1 Aug. 2002 <http://ehostvgw20.epnet.com/<.
Katz, William. An Album of the Great Depression. New York: Franklin Watts, 1978.
Lisca, Peter. “The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Robert
Murray Davis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972. 75-101.
O’Conner, Richard. John Steinbeck. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970.
Smith, G. “Welcome to my The Grapes of Wrath (1939) Study Site.” 7 Dec. 1999.
1 Aug. 2002<http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/grapes.html>.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. 1939. New York: Penguin Books, 1979.
Wagner, Thomas. “The World of the Joads.” Rpt. in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism.
Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale Research, 1990. 378-79.
- 29 -