‘An American Writer’

Description

‘An American Writer’ research paper assignment For this assignment you are to select an American writer who produced works during the time period covered in this course (beginnings to 1865). You may choose a writer we have already covered in class, or you may choose a writer which we have yet to cover; however, you must be prepared to do some research. Your assignment is to write a 3-4 page (double spaced) research paper, concerning the life and works of your chosen author. Your paper should be written in MLA or APA style and contain a properly formatted bibliography (for specific questions regarding MLA or APA formatting, consult Purdue Online Writing Lab or follow this link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ ) There are three specific topics I want you to address in your paper: 1) The author’s life – what is special about this writer or this writer’s life? Were there any significant events in his/her life which influenced his/her works? 2) Themes present in the author’s works – how does the author’s own political, social, religious or other beliefs reveal themselves in his/her works? Is the author trying to convey a message (or messages) to his/her readership? 3) Historical context – what was the historical/cultural/political context in which this author produced his/her works? What was going on in America at the time that this author produced his/her works and how did this affect his/her themes/tone/medium of publication etc.? DO NOT simply give me written responses to these questions – you are to incorporate these topics into a well-organized, coherent essay which makes use of at least three sources (your American Lit. textbook can be one source if you find it useful). You should also plan on using direct quotations from works by your chosen author to back up your points, which means that you should be prepared to read some of your chosen writer’s works or at least excerpts from his/her works. Be sure you DO NOT PLAGIARIZE any part of your paper – make sure you cite anything which is not in your own words. I will be checking to see that you have correctly sourced any writing which is not in your own words. Remember, the general guideline is that only 18% or less of your paper should be made up of direct quotations – the rest needs to be in your words and cited if it is paraphrased. I’m interested in your thoughts and ideas, not those of someone else! Have fun with this – pick someone who interests you!