Term Paper Assignment
Advanced American Literature I
Ms. Martin--Fall 2014
A term paper is a long, formal essay about literature. It represents the culmination of your writing, reading, and analytical skills. It is
the most important piece of writing that you will do for this class all semester. In a literary essay, reporting what happened is never
enough, certainly not at great length. Briefly state what happened, but be more interested in the reason it happened (motivation), the
reason it is significant, ironies or symbolism involved, and the way it parallels other incidents and episodes. Read the lines, and then
read between the lines.
The term paper is a requirement to pass Advanced American Literature I. If you do not complete the term paper, you will not pass the
class. You will turn it in in steps. If you keep up with each step, you will do well. You must complete the steps in order, and you must
do every step. Avoid the “technology apology” by preparing your assignments early. I will only accept papers that follow the correct
format and meet all instructed criteria.
The paper is to be 1,500 to 2,500 words long, roughly five to seven pages typed—not including the works consulted page. I will give
you the form that you are to follow for the various aspects of the paper, including the first page, works consulted, parenthetical
references, quotations, and page numbers. Follow these instructions exactly. You must double-space your paper when you type it.
Characteristics of a good paper include strict adherence to the thesis, clear logic, frequent use of short, relevant quotations,
thoughtfulness, organization, full development of ideas, and freedom from mechanical errors. Any time you feel hesitant or confused,
please see me for help. The sooner you clear up difficulties, the easier the assignment will be.
The paper will be a literary analysis of at least two works of fiction in most cases. Regardless of the genre, you will read 400 to 500
pages of primary sources. Narrow the topics, ask about possible novel pairings, and find the books. Give yourself time between now
and August 27 to find two books that you will enjoy.
Deadlines for the Seven Stages of the Term Paper
Monday, August 25
Decision on topic and books. You must have your first book with you in class—not on order and not in the
mail—on this day to receive credit. 10 points
Monday, September 8
FIVE PAGES of notes (either hand-written on one side of the paper or typed) from first work/half of
your reading. The notes should be focused on your topic. These might include:
Characters: Brief descriptions, and thoughts on what motivates them to do the things they do? (include
quotes— with page numbers—to illustrate those motivations)
Settings: How do settings contribute to the overall effect/themes?
Themes:What messages does your book seem to be sending? What is your book saying about human
nature?
Passages: From the beginning, middle and end of your book, copy 6 passages that seem particularly
thought-provoking and then write about what those passages lead you to think—about character,
plot, theme, etc. Explore them!
Other things that you notice relevant to your topic. Write down quotes and page numbers!
These are just suggestions. Keep the focus on YOUR topic, so that these notes will help you with
your paper. 25 points
Second book (if applicable)—must be with you in class.—10 points
Monday, September 22 FIVE PAGES of notes (either hand-written on one side of the paper or typed) from second work/half
Of your reading. The notes should be focused on your topic. (see above for suggestions) 25 points
Friday, October 3
Annotated copies of two critical essays of the works you read, one for each work. These
essays or reviews must come from a reputable, documentable source—i.e., they must have a named
author, be published in a journal or some other publication which includes a date and publisher.
Write the bibliographic information on the front page of your copies Essays from websites such as
freeessays123, SparkNotes, etc. are not acceptable. 30 points
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Monday, October 13
Typed outline due. Include your thesis statement, a topic sentence for each of your supporting points, and
the specifics you will use from your primary works to support those points. Be certain your plans are clear
and detailed. This is NOT a five-paragraph essay, but will have as many body paragraphs as you need to
develop and support your ideas. 30 points
Friday, October 31
Typed rough draft due. This needs to be the best you can make it. Include a full introduction, your thesis
statement, and complete development of your ideas. Do not summarize the works you read. Make it
mechanically clear. It must follow all instructions for the completed paper, including the works consulted.
50 points
Tuesday, November 25
Completed typed term paper due. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE. NO LATE PAPERS!
If you are leaving early for vacation, turn it in before you leave. If you get sick, find someone to bring it to
school for you. If it is not turned in by 3:30 on this day, you will receive a ZERO for your term paper.
100 points
Topics for the Term Paper
1. Louisa May Alcott
A. Analyze Alcott’s three types of works: tales of proper women—Little Women or Little Men; tales of women getting along—Diana & Persis,
Hospital Sketches, Moods, or Work; and thriller stories A Modern Mephistopheles or “Behind a Mask.”
B. Analyze themes in Alcott’s Little Women and Susan Warner’s Wide, Wide World.
2. Willa Cather
A. Examine the fate of women in two of her works: O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, My Ántonia, A Lost Lady, Obscure Destinies, Lucy Gayheart,
and Sapphira and the Slave Girl.
B. Examine the fate of artists in two of her works: The Song of the Lark, The Troll Garden, Youth and the Bright Medusa, and Lucy Gayheart.
C. Examine the narrators in My Ántonia and A Lost Lady.
3. Kate Chopin
Examine women in all of the stories in Bayou Folk and The Awakening.
4. Naturalism
Examine the effects of naturalism in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie and one of Stephen Crane’s works: The Open Boat and Other Tales of
Adventure, The Little Regiment and Other Episodes of the American Civil War, George’s Mother, and The Red Badge of Courage.
5. Nathaniel Hawthorne
A. Examine his view of Puritanism in two of his works: Twice-Told Tales, Mosses from Old Manse, and The Snow Image.
B. Examine his view of Romanticism and its effect in two of his works: The Marble Faun, The Blithedale Romance, and The House of Seven Gables.
C. Examine the role of women in two of his works: The Marble Faun, The Blithedale Romance, and The House of Seven Gables.
D. Examine sin, guilt, and forgiveness in two of his works: Twice-Told Tales, Mosses from Old Manse, and The Snow Image.
E. Examine the search for truth and the results of the quest in two of his works: Twice-Told Tales, Mosses from Old Manse, and The Snow Image.
6. Immigrants
Analyze Willa Cather’s My Ántonia and Ole Rölvaag’s Giants in the Earth.
7. Herman Melville
A. Examine Moby-Dick as a rebuttal to Transcendentalism.
B. Examine religious metaphors in Moby-Dick.
C. Examine Moby-Dick in terms of Melville’s philosophy.
D. Examine Melville’s views of society in two of his works: The Piazza Tales, Mardi and a Voyage Thither, The Confidence Man, and Peirre; or
The Ambiguities.
8. Pilgrim’s Progress
Analyze the differing uses of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Celestial Railroad” and Alcott’s Work or Little Women.
9. Mark Twain
Analyze his view of religion or politics or civilization in two of his works: The Mysterious Stranger, Letters from Earth, The Gilded Age, A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson.
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Format for the Term Paper
1. Properly document all quoted material as well as all ideas that you borrow from other writers and restate in your own words.
2. Have as your last page a works consulted page showing all the sources used.
3. On all pages, make sure that your name appears in the upper right hand corner, followed by the page number.
Writing the Term Paper
1. Choose works wisely. Choose from available material. If you use any, keep a list of all references.
2. Read material carefully. Copy quotations word for word and be certain to write the page number of the book it is from. Note cards
are handy to use. Record title, author, page number, publisher, place, date, editor, and volume number. Be accurate.
3. Narrow the topic. A careful, close reading of the material helps here. For example, “Emily Dickinson’s poetry” is too broad a topic.
“The love poetry of Emily Dickinson” is better, but still is awfully broad for a paper of 1,500 to 2,000 words. “Death imagery in
the love poetry of Emily Dickinson” is more manageable, narrow enough to be treated in some depth, even in a relatively short
paper.
4. After reading material and writing a stack of notes, organize them. Make an outline to show how the paper will go together. Each
subtopic in the outline should pertain to the main idea and each subtopic should lead in a logical way to the next.
5. Write the thesis statement. Make sure that it embodies an idea or question that calls for discussion, analysis, exposition, or
argument.
6. Write the rough draft. Let the ideas flow. Polish later.
7. Write the introduction—one or two paragraphs that introduce the paper, give the author(s) and titles to be discussed, and state your
thesis. Do not simply state the main points that you are going to discuss in the body. The thesis statement should be near the end of
the introduction.
WARNING—DO NOT USE FORBIDDEN PHRASES:
“In this paper/essay I intend to show...”
“My paper/essay is going to be about...”
“The subject of my paper/essay is...”
8.
Write a conclusion that really concludes the paper, one that grows naturally out of the discussion and arguments. Do not simply
re-state the main points that you discussed in the body.
9.
Polish the paper. Get rid of deadwood, extraneous material, and overly long quotations. Correct all spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization. Pay attention to transitions between paragraphs: good transitions help lead the reader through the various points of
the paper.
10. Using several short quotations cleverly worked into the text is better than using long quotations. However, if your quotation is
more than four lines when typed margin to margin, indent each line one inch from the left margin, using no quotation marks.
11. Proofread carefully. Work on conciseness and clarity. Do not hand in a draft that you have not proofread for typographical errors.
Be certain to follow the guidelines on page four of this handout.
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Proofreading Guidelines
1.
Do not include a title page.
2.
Make all margins one inch.
3.
Use 12-point font for all text.
4.
The header is to be ½ inch from the top of the upper right corner and right justified.
5.
Double-space the entire paper.
6.
Do not underline, italicize, bold, or use all capital letters for your title.
7.
Skip no lines between the heading and the title or between the title and the first line of text.
8.
Do not use your thesis as your title.
9.
The heading and body of your paper should be left-justified only.
10. Incorporate the titles of the works you read and the authors in the introduction.
11. Use present tense verbs when discussing events that occur within the action of the texts.
12. Use third-person pronouns.
13. Do not use contractions.
14. Avoid passive construction.
15. Do not start independent clauses with “it” or “there.”
16. Do not use the words “very,” “obvious,” “thing,” “seems,” and “you.”
17. Have pronouns agree with antecedents and verbs with subjects.
18. All paragraphs are to have at least five sentences.
19. Support assertions with details, especially brief quotations, which are better than long ones.
20. Provide smooth transitions between paragraphs.
21. Double-indent only on the left only when quotations are longer than four lines when typed margin to margin.
22. Use slashes with a space on each side to show the ends of poetic lines without having to double-indent.
23. Use parenthetical citations for quotations instead of footnotes.
24. Do not italicize or use all capitals for emphasis; let your writing make your point.
25. Do not list your word count: I am looking for depth of thought and completeness of arguments.
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