Biography Research Assignment Objectives and Directions:
Background: In order to prove your author’s influences when reading your selected topic, you must first have an understanding of your
author’s life, time period and stylistic choices. Complete the following assignment in order to gain such insight.
Activity#1: RESEARCH
Directions: Locate and cite one or more biographies/autobiographies and utilize your acquired resource to answer the following
questions IN YOU OWN WORDS – NO PLAGIARISM – NO EXCEPTIONS
Suggested Sources: _________________________________________________________
Question
1. Where and when was your author born? (country, city, county, etc…)
Source
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2. Who were your author’s parents and what were they like? (jobs, personality, finances, etc…)
3. List and explain notable childhood experiences in your author’s life. (must find at least 1)
4. Describe your author’s educational experiences and background.
5. Where did your author live when he/she wrote? Did they travel? Describe and explain.
6. Describe the economic, social and political climate experienced by your author during the time
period he/she wrote.
7. What jobs did your author have during his/her lifetime?
8. Describe relationships experienced by your author. (marriage, affair, children, friends, etc…)
9. What religions, political issues or political leaders influenced your author?
10. What gender, racial or social issues influenced your author?
11. Who were your author’s writing contemporaries? How did they influence him/her?
12. What genre was predominately utilized by your author?
Record any additional information pertaining to your author’s life and influences in the spaced provided below:
Additional Information
Source
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Activity#2: ESSAY REFLECTION
Directions: (1) Write a 1-2 page typed double space informative essay that clearly identifies and summarizes the primary
(top 3 or 4) personal influences that influenced your author’s writing style.
(2) Your essay must adhere to MLA formatting requirements.
(3) Furthermore, the focus of your essay should be to establish a clear summary of the primary events, places,
people, literary concepts, etc… that influenced your author’s life and writing career.