FICTION ANALYSIS TERM PAPER GUIDELINES

Basic Final Paper Requirements:

• 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, 1" margins

• Analysis must include one short story we have read in class, one short story (or essay) that we have not read in class

• Introduction with brief summary of the texts you have chosen

• Clear thesis statement setting up the argument you will make in your paper

• Points organized into paragraphs in the body of the essay

• Thorough explanation of how the text leads you to make your argument

• At least 2 direct quotes from each of the texts in support of your argument

Define Your Thesis:

Articulating a single sentence thesis will be the key to guiding the writing of your paper. A strong thesis will provide focus exactly what it is your paper is addressing. You do not want to just compare and contrast two stories. Your goal is to define how these two stories are making a single (or contrasting) argument.

Weak Thesis: I am going to compare James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" and Sherman Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem." Both of these stories use family, which is important to the characters and to me. This paper will explore the use of family in these two stories.

Strong Thesis: The protagonists of James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" and Sherman Alexie's "What Your Pawn I Will Redeem" each gain, through trial and tribulation, the support of their families and rely on that support to earn some sort of redemption.

Literature Analysis:

When we analyze a piece of literature, we break it down into smaller pieces and look at them closely in order to make a statement about how we think the piece works or what we think the message is that it conveys. Here are some important things to remember when analyzing a piece of literature:

a. Come up with one overall argument you want to make about the text. Everything you write in your essay will go back to supporting your main argument.

b. Organize your paragraphs around the different points you want to make to support your argument. Beware of organizing your essay around the order of events in the  story - this often leads to simple summary rather than analysis.

c. Do not simply retell the story in your own words. That is summary, not analysis. If you are explaining what happens in the story, make sure you explain how those events lead you to your argument.

d. Make sure you explain each quote that you use. Do not simply drop a quote into a paragraph. You need to explain, in your words, why the quote is significant to your point.