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THE LITERARY RESEARCH ESSAY

Objectives:

  1. Using writing to explore aspects of Romanticism, clarify ideas, and demonstrate both  your understanding of and  ability to recognize romanticism in a new setting.
  2. Compiling information from secondary sources (film script, literature text, and one other source such as a literature criticism text, an encyclopedia, or an internet source) using available technology.
  3. Organizing notes from multiple sources in useful and informing ways.
  4. Employing precise language to communicate ideas clearly and concisely.
  5. Using standard English to meet demands of occasion, audience, and task.
  6. Writing in a style appropriate to audience and purpose.
  7. Compiling written ideas and representations into a research essay.
  8. Showing proficiency in use of language, mechanics, spelling, capitalization, etc.
  9. Using the correct MLA format for internal citations, and Works Cited page.

 

Expectations:

·         Daily Grades for on task behavior in the library/classroom/toga lab during research process.

·         Major Grades for the final product and process part

 

Guidelines for your research essay:

  1. Create your Romanticism mind map
  2. Read the intro to Romanticism in Elements of Literature (pp. 136-150)
  3. Review what makes a good thesis
  4. Watch the movie :)
  5. Make a list of the top ten things you liked about Last of the Mohicans (or whichever movie you prefer)..

    6. Choose Last of the Mohicans, The Two Towers, The Fellowship of the Ring, Muppet Treasure Island, Princess Bride or Braveheart.

    7. Analyze the movie you choose for at least three aspects of Romanticism contained within the script.

 

        Following your passion or emotion instead of logic or

re r  revelation

        Searching for beauty or truth, the quest

        The value and importance of the common, ordinary

 as    man as opposed to the wealthy or high-born

         Characteristics of the American Romantic hero

         The supernatural or occult

 The distant in time or culture

 An emerging nationalism

 The grotesque, violent, strange, or exotic

 The “inner landscape” of a character

 Imagination or intuition

 Rejection of mechanization, greed, logic, European or Enlightenment values  

 Love, appreciation of nature itself or importance of

nature in a setting

 

8.  bubble, or draw boxes, or make a bulleted listed about how these characteristics show

up in your movie of choice. 

9. After you have made your list, think about which categories you could best

support, as well as which categories are most interesting to you personally.

 

10.Write a good thesis.  Get it approved.

11.  Write a five paragraph (or more) essay, using the organizational patterns we have discussed in class.

 

 

Guidelines for organizing your essay:

 

  1. Introduction in which you name the author and the novel and the director’s film adaptation using either an anecdote, a quote, a startling statistic, dialogue, the history, or a question and gradually leading to a carefully worded  thesis that romanticism is an essential component in the movie.
  2. Body paragraphs discussing the aspects of romanticism you can explain well.  Within these paragraphs you are citing information that proves your thesis.  You should plan to use at least  six  effective interesting quotes [four from the script, one from the literature text, and one from another academic source]  to prove your position.  Your body paragraphs should make it completely clear to the reader that you understand all about the characteristics of the romantic hero or rejection of European values, etc. as applied to the movie as well as why the romantics liked that particular aspect so much. 
  3. A conclusion that restates the thesis and puts the ideas of romanticism in  perspective to the general aspects of life or literature or  movies today. 

 

ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENTS:

  1. YOU MUST DO YOUR OWN WORK.  USING QUOTES OR INFORMATION OR SENTENCES WITHOUT CITING THEM IS PLAGIARISM AND WILL RESULT IN A ZERO.
  2. YOU MUST INCLUDE INTERNAL CITATIONS EVERY TIME YOU QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE.
  3. YOU MUST INCLUDE A TYPED  WORKS CITED PAGE IN MLA FORMAT.
  4. YOU MUST MAKE A ZEROX  OF THE PAGES YOU CITE IN YOUR PAPER. (Plan to bring change to make copies.)  YOU MUST HIGHLIGHT THE QUOTE YOU ARE USING OR CHANGING AND  ATTACH THESE COPIES TO YOUR FINAL DRAFT, WHICH YOU WILL TURN IN TO ME.
  5. YOU MUST TURN IN NOTES, CHARTS, DRAFTS AS PART OF YOUR PROCESS.  IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO WRITE A FINAL DRAFT THAT IS PERFECT.  I WANT TO SEE THE PROCESS.
  6. YOU MUST TURN IN A TYPED FINAL DRAFT IN MLA FORMAT.

 

Due Dates:  Thursday March 13  B—At start of class, Essay rough draft, intro, body, and conclusion  and zeroxes with quotes highlighted.  Peer editing/response

                    Friday  Mar 14 A

Monday Mar 24 B—write rough draft of works cited in class/Hawthorne

Tuesday Mar 25 A

Wed. Mar 26B—turn in typed rough draft of works cited—Poe documentary

Thursday Mar 27 A

Friday Mar 28B—Works cited returned/ fix errors

 

Tuesday April 1B Entire final copy of essay, works cited, and process parts due. 

Wed. April 2 A 

For more tips

 

 Steps:  Easy!!  One step at a time..

1. Getting Started 5.  Incorporating quotes 9.  Using MLA format 13.  Typing your Works Cited
2. Writing your thesis 6.   Weaving in quotations 10. Writing your introduction paragraph 14.  Evaluation
3.  Organizing your body paragraphs 7. Note taking for research (Pay attention to this one!)

11.   Writing your

 body paragraphs

 

  
4.Choosing movie quotes

8. Quotes from other

sources (

 12.  Writing your conclusion  

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Romanticism

Literary Research Assignment

© P Carnie, February 2003

Last modified: March 12, 2003