Research essay using one-two sources from the library ENGLISH112-06
Research Essay: Analysis of Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country
In a 5 paged essay, offer your own analytical claims concerning the novel, and work to engage
with scholarly voices that also analyze the text.
Step 1: Developing a working hypothesis (thesis/analytical claim)
If you read the novel carefully, you will notice a theme, a style of writing, or structure that seems
to ask to be explained.
how that one theme is treaded thru the story.
What theme seems important to the text (Remember, Dr. Sims gave the example of social
injustice as represented through a Christian worldview).
In what ways does understanding this one particular theme allow readers to explain other,
perhaps even larger, issues in the text? (Look at the posted reading notes to find threads
in your own reading and analytical thought process).
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Step 2: Research the Critics
You are required to use one scholarly sources from library databases. You should not use more
than two sources.
Support from critics (literary scholars) can be important evidence to bolster your own
analytical claims.
What else has been written about the theme you have selected to analyze and discuss?
Pay close attention to readings of this novel by other scholars and, above all, close
readings of the same passages or chapters you hope to address in your essay.
Do your sources see certain aspects of the novel in the same way as you?
Who agrees with you and who does not?
*Only sources gathered from databases are allowed.
Richard fouley, No GOGGLE ;use articles from library.
Step 3: Writing Your Essay
Avoid using first- and second-person pronouns (i.e., I nor You).
Use the language of literary study throughout your essay. (symbols, metaphors)
You are not writing an author biography nor a history paper- get right to an analysis of
You god is to on a thrivical in enreationior ihe norett the text.
Develop a thesis / argument. A thesis is a claim you want to make about a literary text,
which is not self-evident but which needs to be illustrated in some way by a close
reading. Every item in your essay should contribute to your thesis and help prove your
argument.
Provide evidence: Support your argument with specific examples from the novel, as well
as from scholarly sources. But, do not summarize nor paraphrase. Use direct quotes
from the novel and sources. ~ Do NOT PARAPHPAsE!!
Interpret and analyze: Do not just present information or describe the plot express fou
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understanding of the novel and its meaning/message (as you see it and intend to argue).
Make sure that you provide analytical points of all information you choose to include-
what do details you have noted mean? How do you interpret these details? How does the
information relate to your argument? Elaborate: Make sure that your, ideas are explained clearly and thoroughly–do not
assume that your points are clear if you have not explained them. It’s a good idea to have
other readers tell you if they do not fully understand something in your essay. Remember,
you are crafting an analysis; readers should not have to come up with the details and
connections that is the job of the writer.
Step 4: Document Your Essay
Your essay must include direct quotations from both the primary (the novel) and
secondary (library) sources.
You are required to include MLA-8 in-text citations. Your essay cannot pass without
these citations.
A Works Cited page is mandatory; your essay cannot pass without the inclusion of this
page. Your professor will not ask for it once the essay has been submitted for a grade.
Step 5: Formatting Your Essay
Title your essay. Your title, at the very least, should give your reader an indication of
what your essay is about. Since you are focusing on one author, name him in your title,
along with the title of the novel. Avoid using a label. Your reader should be able to glean
from your tile a sense of your essay’s main interest.
Include a correct MLA (on first page only), as well as correct headers on each page.
Your essay should be double-spaced and typed in a 12-point Times New Roman font.
Your essay should be 5-7 pages in length.
