Attached below are the exact instructions from my professor. The primary text to be used is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The secondary/supplementary text to be used is A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.
The major text assignment for this course will yield a long essay (about six to eight pages, plus
works cited page). Five to seven (5-7) critical sources are required. This assignment will
require research and focused analysis on Alice Walkers The Color Purple. This novel has
received a great deal of attention, both praising it and denigrating it. Both academic responses
and popular responses have highlighted the concerns of the text. Your task for this assignment is
to pair the novel with a short story or poem by another syllabus author. Create an argument for
how the novel and the supplementary text you choose demonstrate resistance to boundaries. You
may center your argument on a primary or secondary character, and you could conceptualize
boundaries as physical social, ideological, relational, etc. Your secondary text might confirm
Walkers ideas, but it might contrast Walkers presentation of boundaries.
You will develop your own thesis and interpretation, folding in your research as a tool to
enhance your reading. This means that you will need to go far beyond simple (and generally
useless) plot summary and regurgitation of articles. Instead, you will zero in on a central,
analytic interpretation and drive home your points about the text by demonstrating with the work
itself in addition to the criticism. Do not allow the secondary sources to overwhelm the strength
of your own ideas. Remember that, at the core, analysis is an argument.
Use good judgment as you choose your critical sources; lightweight Internet book reviews will
not do. Instead, you should display both journal articles and book-length scholarship. This novel
has been written about for years and years, so there is a wealth of solid, intellectually important
articles to choose from, both current and established. Use the MLA Bibliography. Remember
that additional resources are available through Woodruff Library Interlibrary Loan if you begin
early.
Your final result should be well-edited in terms of writing, and your thesis should be well-argued
and supported. You are required to consult with me in at least one conference before the
assignment is due. Have a good time with this assignment!
Remember that A work should stand out! I will be happy to help in any way, so see me if you
run into problems (and even if you dont).
Happy researching!
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