Write a well-organized, criticalessay (1,000-1,500 words)in MLA format on Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.  This is not a report but an argument.  Your essay must include:

1.      A clear, well-articulated thesis statement in the first paragraph; this thesis must outline the central focus of your argument.  This is not to be a sociological, historical, or psychological account of your topic, but an analysis of an aspect of Indian Horse which interests you (though it could be within the context of those broader areas).  The focus should always be on the novel, not on the broader area outside of the novel.  For example, if you are interested in sports in literature, your paper might address what hockey represents to Saul, or how it affects his life, or how it changes over the course of the novel and what this says about human nature; it would not be on the importance of sports in psychological development, for instance.  The focus of your paper and the examples you give should be primarily about and from Indian Horse, backed up by your external secondary sources.

2.      A clear, well-developed body which expands upon the thesis, offering analysis and concrete, specific textual evidence from your primary source,IndianHorse, and which avoids vague abstractions.  Remember to contextualize your argument within the greater scope of the entire novel.

3.      Support evidence from two credible secondary sources.You may use material obtained through the library from refereed academic electronic databases and print sources such as books, articles, newspapers, and magazines.  Be sure to include both in-text citations and bibliographical entries for all your sources.:refereed journals or periodicals (online databases or printed material).This evidence may either be integrated into your argument ORsummarized (maximum half a page each); summaries should be written clearly and articulately; attach these summaries at the end of your paper.If incorporating quoted evidence from your secondary sources, integrateit smoothly into the body of your essay in accurate MLA format.

4.      A clear, well-articulated conclusion which sums up your argument and offers an additional point of insight about your thesis rather than a vague abstraction.

5.      A Works Cited page which includes Indian Horse and your two sources in correct MLA format.

      Possible research topics include but are not limited to:

1.      sports in literature;

2.      residential schools in literature;

3.      children in literature;

4.      literature by Canadian First Nations authors

5.      symbolism

6.      parallels or juxtapositions between outside and inside; grace of Nature vs. grace of God stereotypes and why they might be used