Short Paper Assignment Sheet
English 2322
For the short paper, you will be required to write an explication of a portion of the
text—a scene, a section, some feature of a character, some feature of setting, words or
language used, for example. An explication is a close reading that focuses on a small bit
of text rather than on the entire piece. For example, in a discussion of Beowulf as a heroic
figure, an explication would focus on one scene that shows, in your opinion, the best
example of his heroic qualities. You would not try to show how he is a hero throughout
the entire long poem (though you may refer to other events earlier or later than your
scene). Do not do any research for this paper. Use only the poem itself for supporting
evidence.
Begin your introduction by giving title of the work, author, and genre. Follow
this with a summary of the poem of no more than two sentences. Then give the context
for the part of the poem you will be discussing. For example, if the focus in your paper is
the story about Heremod, you would need to briefly tell when and why Hrothgar tells the
story. Then transition smoothly to your thesis.
This will be a formal paper. Observe the following conventions:
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Due:
Standard essay organization and development: full introduction paragraph with
thesis statement, body paragraphs with clear topic sentences, quotations within the
body paragraphs to support your assertions, and a conclusion which avoids a mere
restatement of your thesis. Do not begin body paragraphs with quotations.
Quotations should be used to support points, not to make them.
To quote fewer than four lines of a poem, put a slash mark where a line ends and
indicate the line numbers in parentheses: “Then the earls’ defender furnished the
hero / with twelve treasures and told him to set out,” (1866-1867). For four or
more lines, use a block quotation, type the lines exactly as they appear in the text
with no quotation marks or slashes at ends of lines, and line numbers in
parentheses at the end. Only one block quotation of only four lines allowed in
this paper.
Do not use first person or second person. Use third person only.
Do not use contractions.
Use MLA paper format.
Proofread carefully for errors. Use spell check and grammar check.
Length—2 ½ to 3 pages.
Work cited at end (no need to place on separate page if there is space for it on last
page of your paper).
Submit to turnitin.com. No hard copy required. Papers will be graded online.
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An important note about plagiarism:
The strictest rules about plagiarism will apply. Any of the following will result in an “F”
grade for the short paper.
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Direct word-for-word plagiarism identified by turnitin.com.
Any “paper mill” Website listed in your turnitin.com originality report. Examples
of these kinds of Websites are SparkNotes, Shmoop, gradesaver, enotes,
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123helpme, or Websites that require students to pay for papers, essays, or
research papers.
Any Website that will not allow instructors to access it, or that requires a fee to
access.