What are the main themes writers see in A Hunger Artist, and which do I agree most with? Or, do I think the theme is a combination of these?

Essay 3: Documented (Research) Paper
(Research: A Search for Answers to Something You Really Want to Know!)*

*This is not primarily a research exercise. The focus should be on writing: developing a thesis-driven paper that engages critical sources in a meaningful way in order to deepen your own argument. Directly engage with the secondary sources ideas for 2 pages at minimum.

* Failure to not submit required steps described on this handout, Essay 3: Documented Paper, will result in each of those steps lowering the final grade on the paper a step. For example, failure to hand in an outline would make an A- paper become a B+ paper. Failure to hand in an outline and a 1st draft would make an A- paper become a B paper.

Note: Your concrete assignments and due dates are in bold below.

Phase I: Decide on a researchable question you are passionate about; get approved. Write it as a question Nov. 6.

Example: What are the main themes writers see in A Hunger Artist, and which do I agree most with? Or, do I think the theme is a combination of these?
Due: Nov 6.

Phase IIA: Preliminary Research: Be sure your topic is researchable. Are critical articles available that will help you with your question? Are there differing interpretations?

Example: Joe Shmoe, a scholar at Harvard in the 1950s, famously said that The theme of A Hunger Artist is the misunderstood artist. By the 1980s, most scholars had come to debunk this idea; in fact, they say that ____________. My own hunch so far is that the story is really about ________________.

Phase IIB: Gather and read material. One trick to finding sources is to read the cited sources a paper uses. Be sure you find at least 2 reputable, academic sources. Take notes as you read. Keep careful track of citations. Keep track of when you are quoting and when paraphrasing. Decide on a position and try writing it as a thesis statement.

Example: While many scholars have debunked Joe Shmoes notion that A Hunger Artist is about the misunderstood artist, it is time to return to his original argument because

List your two critical sources in full as a Works Cited page and attach to outline also due Nov. 13. Note: Sources must be from online or print sources and not e-readers which are difficult to document due to the frequent case of unclear pagination.
Due: Nov 13

Phase III: Outline how you will structure your research paper. This is a one-page sheet that tells the instructor and other students how you will structure the paper and what you will say. Copies will be shared in groups. For outline help, see the MLA guidebook or the OWL Purdue site.
Due: Nov. 13.

Phase IV: Writing Time. After receiving collaborative approval from your group, write a draft. Then another. Then another. Then show an excellent reader. Then write another. Then proofread. Then input changes. (And so on.) Be sure this paper makes clear what it was out to figure out; what your position is in one thesis statement; and then each paragraph offers why you make the claim that you do. Remember, one main idea per paragraph. Each paragraph should flow from the last. The paper will directly engage with the sources for 2 pp min.

Phase V: Essay 3, 1st draft completed. Due: Nov. 20. Upload to turnitin.
Mandatory: Copies will be shared with groups. If an in-person class, bring in copies of the material you use in your paper, with 1 copy for instructor. If hard copies of articles, highlight with a highlighter the passages you quote or paraphrase or summarize.

Page Count: Minimum is 4 full pages, double-spaced, typed, use Times New Roman, 12 pt.

Citations: At least 2, both of which must be scholarly and dense. Maximum citations: 5.
Note: Sources must be from online or print sources and not e-readers, which are difficult to document due to the frequent case of unclear pagination.

Special Email Requirement: Send Essay 3, 2nd draft to group members by TBD and respond to group members drafts by TBD. Copy to instructor (crial@hunter.cuny.edu); otherwise, participation will be downgraded by one step (B would go to B-). This feedback to each other is a required gift!

Phase VI: Essay 3, 2nd draft completed. Due: Dec. 11. Upload to turnitin.
If in-person, bring in copies of the material you use in your paper. Highlight with a highlighter the passages in the articles you quote or paraphrase or summarize. This date is inflexible and papers cannot go on to a 3rd draft.

Page Count: 6-7 pages, double-spaced, typed, use Times New Roman, 12 pt.

nb: 5.5 pages goes down one grade increment. (A B would become a B-). Less than 5.5 pages cannot pass and receives an F. Also keep in mind the peer review grading matter.

Citations: At least 2, both of which must be scholarly and dense. Max: 5 citations

MLA: Basic Techniques

Basic:

No reading can resolve the poem (Ramirez 64).

Ramirez writes, No reading can resolve the poem (64).

Two Authors:

In their words, No interpretation is satisfying (Amado and Kropotkin 633).

More than 2 Authors:

No interpretation will do (Mau et al.)

To cut back on a quote, use ellipses (dot-dot-dot):

She is always going to be without a spouse with whom she can feel equal (Smith 533).

Cutting back on a quote and ruining the sentence structure:

She is always going to be a spouse with whom she can feel equal (Smith 533).

Adding words to a quote to make the grammar work out: Use brackets.

The character is resoundingly callous and without [morals] (Smith 533).

Questions for Quoting:

Why are you quoting rather than paraphrasing?
Are you quoting accurately?
If you alter a quote, is it still representing the writing accurately?
If you quote, are you giving attribution?
If you paraphrase, are you giving attribution? (This doesnt apply to fiction
paraphrases/summaries.)

MLA, Part II: On Works Cited

Note: On library databases pages, only to an extent can you trust easybib and Findit! to get MLA right. Best option: see MLA or MLA Handbook itself. OWL Purdue site is quite good. Also, see an excerpt below for examples taken from the OWL site:

Works Cited

Bagchi, Alaknanda. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta
Devi’s Bashai Tudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996,
pp. 41-50.
Dolby, Nadine. Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future
Directions. Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only
Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362.
Accessed 20 May 2009.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. MacMurray, 1999.

Common mistakes for WC pages:

Captioning the page as Works Cited Page
Not alphabetizing entries
Not including all the details needed for an entry or all entries
Not doing a hanging indentation, that allows readers to easily see author first name
Not starting the entry with last names
Not double spacing

Engaging with Sources

#1 incorporates the secondary source well:
In the article Romeo and Juliet: A Modern Perspective, Gail Kern Paster demonstrates how the two young rebels (Romeo and Juliet) are not followers of the social and kinship structures of the Elizabethan society, which was what determined a persons identity at the time (253). From the very beginning of the play, Romeos lack of traditional identity is obvious. Paster refers to Romeo as a someone who rejects the misogynistic behaviors of his friends (261). When Romeo and Juliet become emotionally involved with one another, their identities are further revealed. Juliet is no longer the obedient, isolated, and confined (Paster 264) girl she once was; according to Paster, she becomes the opposite of what is expected from a female in Elizabethan society. In fact, she refuses to marry Paris, the man assigned to her, and instead she marries Romeo without parental permission. Paster states that Juliet was able to break through from being an anonymous sexual object to a beloved woman exalted beyond knowing or possessing (265).

#2 is a deeper engagement (by the student writer) with the same source:

While Paster argues that Romeo and Juliet subvert the Elizabethan eras social and kinship structures (253) regarding gender and power, it is nonetheless the case that both main characters are products of their environment. For example, Romeo does not protest when his friends run about town molesting women, which is surely conformity, not subversion, as Paster would have it. Juliet, meanwhile, is supposed to be so in love with Romeo that she rejects Paris, but the question must be raised: In such a virulently misogynistic setting, how can any female be married without reservation to a man? Can Juliet be a beloved woman exalted beyond knowing or possessing (265), as Paster argues, or can she only be owned and exploited given the patriarchy in which she exists?

Secondary Source: Romeo and Juliet: A Modern Perspective by Gail Kern Paster

3 Ways to Engage with Sources

To Amplify a Scholars Ideas: [Shes right, and heres more on the point.]

[Imagine this paragraph about James Joyces The Dead begins with a few sentences describing a conversation between a middle class man and a working class young woman, where the man gives her a tip.] That conversation is what provides a first impression for interpreting Gabriels character, and to many critics it is not a positive one. To them, Gabriels actions are pompous and evidence that Gabriel is condescending to women and simply bribing Lily for compliance (Smith 230-31). Sonia Gonzalez, however, claims that Gabriels actions are a benign social blunder, which she supports with details such as Gabriel blushing and feelings of deprecation (44). Indeed, following this train of thought, the way Joyce writes the scene provides a notable emphasis on speed that reinforces the idea that Gabriels actions are not carefully thought out, and as a result, stem from nervousness, not sexism or arrogance. This is evident from how Gabriel is described as taking the coin rapidly from his pocket (24), how he walks rapidly to the door (25.) This is to say, Gabriels actions here demonstrate his anxiety; rather than being a domineering symbol of patriarchy, Gabriel has a critical flaw of being unable to adapt to situations outside of his comfort zone, acting awkward as a result.

To Contradict a Scholar: [Youre wrong and heres why.]

When it comes to Gabriels thoughts, critics tend to primarily focus on the more objectionable ones. One such example is his judgmental thoughts about Molly Ivors after she heckles him as a supporter of Britain, which has led some critics to believe Gabriel is attacking the female gender as a whole (Smith 23). However, while Gabriels thoughts can be justifiably considered abrasive, it is important to analyze them in terms of their surrounding context. At the time, Gabriel is preparing to dance out of convention when Molly Ivors abruptly attacks him personally regarding his part-time work [The rest of the paragraph shows how he was confused and then awkward with her but never explicitly sexist.]

Language for Adding New Ideas to a Scholars Ideas [Yes, and also]

Not only this,
Besides what Gomez says, another reason to think of the character as limited is

Permission thanks to my English 220 student.

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