Term Paper on "Fiction Analysis of Flight Patterns"

Quoted Instructions for "Fiction Analysis of Flight Patterns" Assignment:

Select one or two of the following short stories that have been assigned from our textbook The Norton Introduction to Literature.

*****¢*****"Flight Patterns*****"

*****¢*****"Sonny*****s Blues*****"

*****¢*****"The Cask of Amontillado*****"

*****¢*****"Hills Like White Elephants*****"

*****¢*****"Bartleby, the Scrivener*****"

*****¢*****"A Pair of Tickets*****"

*****¢*****"A Hunger Artist*****"

*****¢*****"Interpreter of Maladies*****"

*****¢*****"The Open Boat*****"

*****¢*****"A Good Man Is Hard to Find*****"

*****¢*****"Gorilla, My Love*****"

*****¢*****"Boys and Girls*****"

Analyze the story or stories, using three secondary sources (in other words, at least three sources from research must be used). The analysis must focus on one of the literary terms that have been discussed; however, the literary term can have broad interpretation.

For example, an analysis of character in William Faulkner*****s short story *****"A Rose for Emily*****" might explore how Emily*****s character is doomed in her romantic relationships because of her relationship with her father. A more forthright analysis might be exploring foreshadowing in Edgar Allen Poe*****s short story *****"The Cask of Amontillado.*****"

If you choose two short stories, then the two short stories must show a relationship. For example, if you choose *****"A Rose for Emily*****" and *****"The Cask of Amontillado,*****" then you would pick one literary term (such as character) and relate it equally to both stories, such as performing a compare and contrast that works as a character analysis for the main characters of each story and showing how they are both doomed.

The following parameters for the assignment will help you structure both the content and the organization of the essay:

1. Essay must be a minimum of 1200 words, following the standard structure (an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph).

2. Essay must be analytical; it should NOT be a plot summary. This is critical! (However, brief explanation of the plot may be acceptable if it is supporting a point being made. Assume that the reader has read the story but is not familiar with the ideas being presented.)

3. Research must include three secondary sources that are listed on the Works Cited and quoted within the content of the paper. Remember to format MLA Documentation Style, listing primary and secondary sources on the Works Cited and citing quotes with parenthetical citations.

4. The introductory paragraph should (a) identify the piece of literature by author and title of the story, (b) provide a statement of theme and (c) present the thesis statement, which should include the major points to be covered in the body paragraphs.

5. The body paragraphs should elaborate on a point that extends from the thesis and provide support for that point by bringing in specific quotations from the text.

6. The concluding paragraph should summarize points and make a final case for thesis.

7. As in the answering of discussion questions, provide support for the point being made in each body paragraph, and that support should include brief quotations from the story or from secondary resources. Discuss the quotes in relation to the points being made.

8. The essay should be cohesive, as a complete whole, with all parts working together. In checking for cohesion, ask if its various parts work together to make ONE statement, or if they each work separately, going off in different directions. Remember that an essay is to revolve around and derive from the thesis statement.

9. Discuss literature in present tense (*****"Sammy is,*****" not *****"Sammy was*****").

10. Give the author*****'s full name the first time you mention it, but thereafter, use only his or her last name, i.e., no titles.

11. Always place the title of a short story or poem that is being analyzed in quotation marks.

12. Always italicize or underline the title of a longer work, such as a novel or a film.

13. Do not use slang, contractions, and abbreviations.

14. Do not use the indefinite personal pronouns: *****"We, us, our, you, your.*****"

15. Do not make any reference to yourself (No *****"I, me, or my*****").

16. Do not begin a sentence with *****"I believe that*****" or *****"In my opinion,*****" etc.

17. Do not begin a sentence with *****"It is,*****" *****"there is,*****" or *****"there are.*****"

18. Avoid pronoun or verb agreement problems.

19. Avoid sentence illiteracies such as fragments, run-ons, comma splices, or illogical sentence structures.

20. Follow standard punctuation rules carefully; this is particularly true for quoted material and parenthetical citations.

TIPS:

*****¢MLA Style formatting is reviewed in the attachments that were e-mailed to you. If you need more information, go to the Web sites that are recommended or check out a MLA Style guide from the library.

*****¢Make sure that the MLA Formatting includes parenthetical citations for information that is quoted from the short story or from the research. Remember that works that are quoted must be listed with the correct publication information on the Works Cited.

*****¢Remember to spell check and grammar check your essay before submitting. Be careful though-sometimes spell check doesn*****t catch an incorrect spelling that is based on usage (for example, the words your or you*****re). The same is true for grammar check.