The Research Paper



The Research Paper

A literary Analysis of Macbeth, Maus, or First They Killed My Father

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to complete a critical literary analysis based on research. The student will formulate a thesis and provide support based on secondary criticism. Topics for research need to be related to Macbeth, Maus, or First They Killed My Father (or any combination of the three).

Paper Requirements:

➢ 4-5 pages, typed and double spaced

➢ minimum of three sources (not including text book, play, or novel)

➢ correct MLA style title page

➢ correct MLA style works cited page

➢ ALL SOURCES (photocopied or printouts) WITH HIGHLIGHTED TEXT

Proposal: A one paragraph proposal needs to be submitted and approved before you begin your paper. Your proposal states what resources you will be using, how you will organize your point, how you will prove your point, and address any questions or concerns.

DUE DATE: ____________________ 25 points

Rough Draft: A rough draft must be submitted before you can turn in your final copy. The works cited page and sources must be attached to your draft in order to be accepted.

DUE DATE: _____________________ 75 points

Final Draft: The final draft needs to be submitted with your rough draft, editing sheets, highlighted research and all final draft requirements (cover page, works cited page, etc). If any component is missing, I will not read or score your paper.

DUE DATE: _____________________ 200 points

Plagiarism: Literary theft. It is using someone else’s words or ideas—whether from a print source or off the Internet—as if they were your own. Because it is considered such a serious offense, most colleges and universities have policies severely penalizing students who plagiarize. Some policies call for automatic failure in the class involved, and some even call for expulsion.

Warning: If I find you have plagiarized your paper, you will receive a ZERO out of 300 points, which guarantees your failure for the marking period.

Potential Questions / Topics for the Research Paper:

Macbeth:

• Research one of several topics concerning psychology. For example, the attitude of a person who kills for ambition. Macbeth is the first play to stress what the murderer is undergoing psychologically, rather than the action of the murder itself.

• Research why a blindly ambitious person ignores society’s laws and values to fulfill an ambition. Why does this person believe he/she is above the law? Why does this person appear to lack remorse? Relate this to Macbeth.

• Research the effects of guilt and contrast them to Shakespeare’s approach to the topic by examining changes in Lady Macbeth resulting in her death, as well as Macbeth’s attempts to protect himself and finally accepting the consequences of his deed. What would modern psychology say about Shakespeare’s characterizations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

• Research the role of women during the time period Shakespeare. Focusing on the female characters in Macbeth compare and contrast the female role with one another or with female roles today.

First They Killed My Father or Maus:

• What does it mean to evaluate these nonfiction accounts of atrocity from an aesthetic perspective?

• What are the implications of the different forms of narration (a genocide survivor telling his or her own story, co-authoring, or another telling a genocide survivor’s story)?

• Audience: Who is the intended audience and what does it mean that so many genocide texts are “western-facing” texts though they are based on events in non-western settings? What does it say or mean that the rise of this genre is dependant upon the Western publishing industry?

• What conditions made it possible for the author to tell his or her story?

• How does time operate—how does the author use linear and nonlinear narrative, flashbacks, memory, memory gaps, and/or chronology?

• Tone and Language: How does the author use tone of voice to affect the reader? On the same note, how does style, figurative language, metaphor, etc affect the story?

• Narrative Voice: The author of First They Killed My Father relates an experience that occurred during her childhood. However, she is an adult relating these experiences. In what way is the voice of the narrator a child’s voice? In what way is the voice of the narrator an adult’s voice? How can you tell the difference? How are the impacts of the two voices different? How does the author successfully intertwine both voices?

• Omission—what is not in the story? (consider the italicized sections in FTKMF)

• Is there any humor or light-heartedness in the text? How is it used? Does it belong in this type of text?

• Other apparatus: prefaces, footnotes, pictures, book cover, epilogue, afterwords, marketing. How do any of these items affect the story and/or affect the reader’s interpretation of the story?

• There is a continuous theme of “hunger” running throughout First They Killed My Father (and Maus). However, hunger does not always mean the same thing. There are many different kinds of hunger. Discuss the theme of hunger in the memoir, using specific examples. Be sure to illustrate how it is important to the overall message of the text.

Name: ____________________

Date: ____________________

Period: ____________________

Paper Proposal

The Research Paper

A literary Analysis of Macbeth, First They Killed My Father, or Maus

Proposal Information

Directions: A one paragraph proposal needs to be submitted and approved before you begin your paper. Your proposal states what resources you will be using, how you will organize your point, how you will prove your point, and address any questions or concerns.

Title of the work(s) you will be using: ___________________________________________________

Working Thesis Statement: Write out a thesis statement for your paper that roughly states the purpose of your research paper (one sentence).

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Proposal: state what resources you will be using, how you will organize your point, how you will prove your point, and address any questions or concerns (one paragraph, at least 15-20 lines).

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