ANALYSIS PAPERS—English 15B
Fall 2015
Dr. Leiby
Midterm Exam Analysis Paper: After taking the midterm exam, you will have the option to choose one of
your short paper-length responses to an exam prompt, then develop and revise it into an out-of-class short
analysis paper. The choice of prompt and your response must ADD to the content of the exam, not simply
repeat it or slightly elaborate on it; thus, I suggest that you revise either a very weak or incomplete exam
response, or, better yet, choose a prompt you didn’t respond to at all, but one from a section on which you
received low points on the exam, as these papers are meant to supplement the work you have completed on the
exam, thus improving your grade. Please attach your exam to the paper to verify that your choice of prompt is
appropriate. The midterm exam analysis paper is NOT required; rather, it provides you the opportunity to add
up to ten points to the grade on the midterm exam. The number of points added depends upon the quality of the
analysis paper. Please note that points added to each exam cannot exceed 100; for example, if you earn a 95%
on Exam 1, the maximum points you can earn on Analysis Paper #1 would be five.
Final Exam Analysis Paper: Prior to the final exam, you will be required to write a short analysis paper on
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre; the paper will factor in as a portion of the final exam grade. Choose one of the
following prompts:
1. Discuss the construction of Jane’s identity in Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre—include
interpretations of “Eyre” as well as examine descriptions of Jane used by different characters, including
Jane herself.
2. What argument does Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre make about gender roles and the Victorian
“Woman Question”?
3. Examine one or more of the following themes in Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, explaining the text’s
perspective on the issue(s): romantic love and marriage; social status and class; religion and the Crisis of
Faith; or racism and imperialism.
Analysis papers must meet the following requirements:
1) The papers should be at least five paragraphs (an introduction paragraph, at least three body
paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph), and approximately three typed pages, double-spaced.
2) The papers should provide solid support for a clear thesis that addresses the prompt through a close
reading of the literary text(s) assigned.
3) The papers must utilize proper MLA format, both in-text citation and a Works Cited page, even if
the only source you cite is the literary text(s). (Refer to your handbook.)
4) If you conduct research (not required), please include with your paper photocopies of pages of books
and articles from which you quote or paraphrase and highlight or underline on these photocopies any
quoted and/or paraphrased material that you use and cite in the paper, placing the title page or first page
of each source on top, with the author and title highlighted, then staple to it the pages of the source
from which you quote or paraphrase, and organize these separately stapled source materials
alphabetically (in the same order as the Works Cited page). Do not include copies of the literary texts
themselves, just any additional sources used to write your analysis papers.
5) You must submit each analysis paper to the college provided, web-based plagiarism software program
turnitin.com by the due date (Midterm exam analysis paper: Nov. 5; Final exam analysis paper:
Nov. 24); you must also submit a paper copy to the instructor.
If you decide to have your essay reviewed by a Writing Center Tutor for feedback, you MUST take your student
I.D. and this assignment sheet with you; for the midterm exam analysis paper, you will also need the graded
exam so that you can show the WC tutor the writing prompt from the exam, as well as any written response that
you are revising into the analysis paper. Remember: If you misplace this assignment sheet, it is available on the
English 15B website.