Prof. Bondhus
English II
Out-of-Class Essay #2
The Assignment:
Check off the items below as you complete them.
_____ Choose one of the works we’ve read so far other than one of the ones you’ve already
written on.
_____ Identify a key element that intrigues you in the work you’ve chosen, such as a theme, a
conflict, a concept, an interesting character, or a particular event in the story.
_____ Conduct scholarly, non-literary research on this element. In other words, don’t look for
articles that are about the story or poem. Rather, look for scholarly articles that deal with the
key element. For example:
*If you wanted to look at the concept of reincarnation in Butler’s story “Jealous
Husband Returns in Form of Parrot,” do research on reincarnation.
*Or if you wanted to look at the conflict between love and hate in Plath’s poem
“Daddy,” do research on parent-child relationships.
*Or if you wanted to consider Oedipus’s role as king of Thebes, do research on the
duties of a leader to his followers.
_____ Create a thesis which identifies a relationship between the story/poem and your
research. In other words, does the research confirm, expand upon, or contradict the message
of the story/poem? Or some combination of the above? For example:
*How similar is the Hindu conception of reincarnation to the type of reincarnation that
happens in “Jealous Husband…”?
*Or, how do the findings of reputable psychologists on parent-child relationships
expand upon and/or contradict the speaker’s relationship to her father in “Daddy”?
*Or, how good of a leader is Oedipus based on the standards of leadership identified in
your source?
_____ Your thesis should consist of an argument which links the story/poem and the research,
and 3-4 areas of support. In other words, you need to identify a way that the source confirms,
expands upon, and/or contradicts the story/poem and 3-4 ways that it does so.
_____ Your paper must be 4-5 pages long, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 point, 1”
margins all the way around. Pages must be numbered.
_____ You must bring in quotations from the story/poem AND the scholarly source. These
quotations must be integrated and documented in MLA format.
_____ You must include a Works Cited page (not part of the final page count) in MLA format.
Sources:
-You need to find at least one scholarly source. Your best bet is to search Academic Search
Premiere and Proquest.
-You may bring in additional, non-scholarly sources provided they are reliable—i.e., a collegelevel textbook, a reputable website, a quality newspaper, or a quality magazine.
-You may not use Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or anything similar.
Due Dates:
-Library Day: we will be meeting in the library on Monday, 10/10 to begin research. Make
sure you have at least some idea of your topic at this point.
-First draft is due for peer/teacher response on Monday, 10/17. Bring 3 copies on this day—two
for peer response, and one for me.
-Final draft is due Wednesday, 10/26.
Sources of assistance for this assignment:
-Feel free to email me or speak with me before/after class or in my office hours.
-Speak with a librarian at the RVCC library. See the library home page for information on how to
do a live chat with a librarian, submit a question via the library web site, or schedule a one-onone meeting with a librarian to discuss your research project.
-The Academic Support Center (S-020) can help you with any stage of the writing process. This
is a free, drop-in service—no appointment necessary.
Pointers:
-Your introduction should include a hook, a brief summary of the story/poem, a brief the
relevant points/facts in your scholarly source, and your thesis and areas of support.
-Your body paragraphs should begin with topic sentences which refer back to your areas of
support. You may need more than one body paragraph to fully explore a given area of support.
-Your body paragraphs should develop the relationship between the scholarly source and the
story/poem, using integrated quotations and your own explanation of how the quotes illustrate
the relationship between the source and the story/poem.
-Your conclusion should restate your thesis in different words, consider what larger point is
being made or what knowledge has been gained as a result of your analysis, and wrap up the
paper.