ENC 1102 Critical Literary Analysis Research 1 Paper Guidelines Directions: It is important that you carefully read these guidelines follow the instructions and guidelines in this document. First, choose ONE of the following topics. Topics should not be combined. Topics: Choose one of the following topics below on which to write your first critical literary analysis. Topic 1: Compare the themes in the “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” Topic 2: Analyze the structure and plots of “Happy Endings.” Topic 3: Analyze the setting, symbols, and theme(s) in “A Pair of Tickets.” Topic 4: Contrast Dee and Maggie in “Everyday Use.” Topic 5: Evaluate the writer’s style in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” This is a research paper; this means that you will be using both your textbook and two scholarly sources. This paper should be between 750 and 800 words (not including the heading and the works cited page.) In addition, this assignment requires the use of the primary source (the short story or stories on which you choose to write) and two secondary sources (scholarly articles related to literature and literature theory that you get from one of the SFSC databases). Only sources obtained from SFSC’s databases will be accepted as secondary sources. In addition, you are required to use summaries, paraphrases, and quotes from both your primary and secondary sources, and you must use parenthetical citations. The paper should follow MLA guidelines and include the appropriate heading (see sample on next page), page numbering, and correct margin and spacing. The paper also must contain a works cited page. Next, your paper should be your analysis of the work(s) you selected. It should supported by both the primary source (such as “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway) and the secondary sources (such as “Man’s Isolation in ‘The Sun Also Rises’” by Anita Belmont). The secondary source is a journal article from SFSC’s literature databases that gives a professional critic’s analysis of short story or stories. This assignment is heavily weighted in this course, so you should use your best writing. This means that you will have to write several drafts before you submit the final draft, which should be free from organizational, grammatical, punctuation, and research errors. Because these papers will not be proofread by the instructor, I strongly encourage you to get someone other than you to read your paper out loud. Ideally, you should work as peer reviewers with another student from this class. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when writing your paper: • Do NOT simply “retell” the story; this will result is a significantly lower grade. • Do NOT string quotes together. Papers will be marked down heavily for this. Instead, integrate quotes (from both primary and secondary) into your own words. This is a basic skill that should have been mastered in Freshman English I. • Do NOT use paraphrases, quotes, or summaries in the introduction or the conclusion of the paper. Reserve these for the body paragraphs. • Consult a current MLA Handbook or the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue to see how to use quotes within a quote. In addition, your paper will not be accepted and be issued a grade of “0” for the following reasons: Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 1       Failure to use both the primary and two secondary sources and/or the use of secondary sources that do not come from SFSC’s databases and/or sources that do not meet the requirement for source authority Lack of parenthetical citations and/or lack of a works cited page Failure to meet the minimum word count Plagiarism (there is no “minimum” acceptable level) Failure to upload the paper to the dropbox by the due date stated in the syllabus. Failure to submit a file format other than .docx, .pdf, and .rtf. Files that cannot be opened cannot be resubmitted. Finally, keep in mind the scoring rubric which is located on the following page. In addition, a student example paper is located at the end of this document. Please note that this is a sample paper to guide you in your critical thinking, organization, and formatting. Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 2 Research Analysis Paper Scoring Rubric The following rubric will be used to grade your research analysis papers: Structure Support Mechanics, grammar, and usage Excellent (14-15) The product is finished and includes a wellformed introduction with a clear thesis. The body of the paper is logical in its organization. The conclusion is concise and relevant to the topic. Appropriate and sophisticated transitions are used. Good (10-13) The paper contains most of the elements of good structure. Minor lapses in organization or a few illogical transitions may be present. The thesis, introduction or conclusion may be slightly incongruous with the rest of the paper. Fair (5-9) The paper contains some of the elements of structure. Significant lapses in organization, including the introduction, thesis, and conclusion, are present. The thesis does not clearly match the topic or the sequence of the paper. Some logical transitions are used. Excellent (18-20) The supporting examples are varied, relevant, and detailed; quotations are exceptionally and logically integrated into the student’s own language; there is a significant amount of evidence that is authoritative and relevant; quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing and citations are nearly flawless. Excellent (22-25) The sentence structure is sophisticated with few errors in sentence combination, subordination, and agreement. Punctuation and word choice is nearly flawless. Few errors in grammar are present Good (13-17) The supporting details are appropriate and logically arranged. Quotations are logically integrated into the student’s own language. Ample quotations, paraphrases, and summaries are evident. Citations contain small errors. Fair (6-12) There is little to adequate support for the topic of the paper. The details are irrelevant or generalized. Quotations are infrequently integrated into the student’s language, and minor lapses in paraphrasing and summarizing occur. Citations contain several errors. Good (14-21) The sentence structure is appropriate with only minor lapses in subordination, punctuation, and word choice. Some errors in sentence combination are present. Other errors in grammar are also present. Fair (8-13) The sentence structure contains some errors in subordination, punctuation, and word choice. Some sentences are poorly combined. Several other errors in grammar are also present. Poor (0-4) The paper has minimal structure, relying too heavily on quotations that are illogically woven together. The thesis is missing or unclear and significant elements may be missing, such as an appropriate introduction or conclusion. Poor (0-5) There is little to no support for the paper’s topic. Quotations, summaries, and paraphrases are randomly or incorrectly used or may be missing altogether. Citations are sparse or not used at all. Poor (0-7) There are significant and multiple errors at the sentence level, including sentence combination, punctuation, and word choice. Multiple grammatical errors are present. Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 3 Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Format Excellent (27-30) The research is smoothly synthesized into the context of the paper; the research is appropriate and relevant to support the topic and form of the paper. Quality and quantity of sources indicate familiarity with standards of information literacy. Excellent (10) The paper follows current MLA format including a title page and bibliography/works cited page that follow MLA guidelines. The paper is appropriately headed, and correct parenthetical citation is consistently used. Good (19-26) The research is appropriately integrated into the student’s topic. Minor lapses in research strength (quality) are present but do not affect the topic of the paper. Fair (10-18) The research is minimally to adequately integrated into the student’s topic. There are some lapses in research strength (quality) that do affect the communication of the research to the reader. Poor (0-9) The research is minimally or not at all integrated into the paper. The logic and support reflect little to no synthesis of the research in the student’s paper. Good (8-9) The paper mostly follows current MLA format. Minor errors in citation or the bibliography/works cited page are present. Small errors are evident in the title page and the body of the paper. Fair (4-7) The paper has some elements of MLA formatting, but significant issues in the title page, spacing, heading, or works cited page are present. Poor (0-3) The paper is poorly formatted, with multiple errors that include spacing, works cited and title page format, and parenthetical citations. Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 4 Student Research Analysis Paper Sample Will Smith ENC 1102 May 21, 2017 Research Analysis Paper 1 Analysis of Hester Prynne The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the early 19 th century, providing readers with a heroic story of a women receiving a punishment for following her heart. A married Hester Prynne partakes in an affair with the pastor of her small community. In this time, adultery is considered a crime and punishable by death. Hester further refuses to disclose the name of the man involved in the affair. Consequently, the community agrees to punish Hester with a short prison sentence and a lifetime of wearing an “A” upon her dress for as long as she lives in the community. The “A” represents her crime of adultery. The “A” that Hester wears in The Scarlet Letter is a public symbol that transforms the humiliated and alienated Hester into a strong heroine as she conceals her lovers’ identity, protects her daughter, and refuses to allow the public punishment to define her as a person. Hester Prynne is considered a heroine because she is a woman who chooses to take all the responsibility for a crime that requires two people. She refuses to follow Puritan laws and follows her heart when she partakes in an affair with Pastor Dimmesdale. For example, “In her deepest heart, she can never accept the Puritan rules and becomes a rebel against the rules” (Wang 894). She is a strong willed woman who refuses to let Dimmesdale take any of the punishment in fear of what would happen to him. In fact, “Hester is a heroine because she is deeply implicated in, and responsive to, the gender structure of her society, and because her story, turning on ‘love’ is ‘appropriate’ for a women” Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 5 (Baym 62). Her heroism is also shown in many ways throughout the novel as she continues to stand for what she believes in and remains silent until the end. Hester’s kept secrets are important because they extend the plot and bring frustration to the foil. Elizabeth Alsop states, “The novel seems more interested in what happens when women don’t break their silence, and paradoxically, obtain power as a result” (84). That Hester reveals the truth could dramatically change the plot, and she no longer could be the heroine or the main focus. The plot then becomes about the revenge and punishment of Arthur Dimmesdale so “Hester’s keeping Dimmesdale’s secret is, of course, essential to The Scarlet Letter” (Gartner 131). Hester concealing Dimmesdale’s identity not only protects him from punishment of the Puritan law but from her husband’s revenge. Hester never loved her husband; she reminds him of this when he visits her in the prison, saying “Thou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any” (Hawthorne 72). Hester refuses to tell him who Pearl’s father is and makes another promise not to tell his identity. She shows how much love she has for Dimmesdale by taking complete responsibility for the affair. She knows that if she reveals he is the father of Pearl, he will be put to death or hunted down by her revengeful husband. Hester keeps all of the control and power by keeping the secrets. Her power and control are also shown when she goes into the community, proudly displaying the symbolic “A” upon her dress and having her daughter by her side. Hester Prynne’s obligation to wear the letter “A” is not the only symbol of her sin. The other symbol of that sin is her daughter Pearl. Hester is never ashamed of Pearl; she knows Pearl has been conceived out of love and will do anything to protect her. In fact, “She named the infant ‘Pearl’ as being of great price-purchased with all she had--her mother’s only treasure” (Hawthorne 85). As Hester is released from prison to reveal her punishment to the community, it is “Her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by impulse of motherly affection; as that she might Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 6 thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened to her dress” (Hawthorne 50). Hester holds Pearl tightly but choses to proudly show both symbols of her sin. Later in the novel, Hester is visiting Governor Bellingham’s home only to find out that the community want to take her daughter away. They claim that Hester is an unfit mother because of the sin she committed and that there is no way that Hester can raise a child of God. Hester fights the accusation and replies, “God gave me the child! He gave her in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me” (Hawthorne 109). She looks to Mr. Dimmesdale, who is her pastor and secret lover, to support her argument that she is a good mother. Dimmesdale does speak up, only to reassure the Governor that Pearl is in good hands. The decision is made to allow Hester keep Pearl. Hester protects Pearl by not disclosing Mr. Chillingworth’s identity; he is, in fact, the town doctor and also her husband. However, he is a vindictive man who is on a mission of revenge. Hester despises him, but she will not put her daughter or lover in any danger. She continues to live in this community for many years despite the daily humiliation. Pearl does not know who her father is but living in the community, she is able to get to know Dimmesdale. Upon doing this, Hester allows Dimmesdale to love Pearl. She also teaches Pearl to stand up for what she believes in, and follows her conscience and heart. Hester Prynne refuses to allow the punishments or community’s judgments to define her. Her actions prove that she is an independent, strong willed woman. In fact, “Hester’s first action in The Scarlet Letter seems to be an act of free will [although] it is the town beadle who releases Hester from prison” (Reiss 200). She stands in the middle of town and refuses to show emotion in front of the people who come out to judge her. When Hester reveals the “A”, she shows that she embraces the punishment. She uses her needlework skills to make the “A” look like an accessory to her dress. In fact, “It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 7 splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Hawthorne 51). She continues to irritate the community as she stands on the platform and refuses to answer the question of her lover’s identity. Furthermore, she deals with the daily ridicule as she lives her life in this community. Refusing to fold under the pressure of her community shows Hester’s strength to fight in a time when women were not considered equal. In conclusion, Hester Prynne is a heroin in The Scarlet Letter. She follows her heart and goes against the Puritan law to protect the people she loved. While doing this, she is required to face public humiliation with the symbol of adultery pinned to her dress and a daughter who reminds the public of Hester’s adultery. She faces her punishment with dignity, and this transforms her into a strong, independent woman of which her daughter is proud. Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 8 Works Cited Alsop, Elizabeth. “Refusal To Tell: Withholding Heroines In Hawthorne, Wharton, And Coetzee.” College Literature 39.3 (2012): 84. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Baym, Nina. The Scarlet Letter A Reading. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1986. Print. Gartner, Matthew. "'The Scarlet Letter' and the book of Esther: scriptural letter and narrative life." Studies in American Fiction 23.2 (1995): 131+. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. S.l.: Tom Doherty Assoc., 1988. Print. Reiss, John. “Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.” Explicator 53.4 (1995): 200. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Wang, Yamin. “A Representative Of The New Female Image—Analyzing Hester Prynne’s Feminist Consciousness In The Scarlet Letter.” Journal Of Language Teaching & Research 1.6 (2010): 893-897. Education Research Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Andrews SFCC ENC 1102/ Page 9
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