For this final assignment, you will write a critical essay analyzing either “From Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Vol. I Chap. I In Which the Reader is Introduced to a Man of Humanity” or “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe. You can discuss the text in the context of other texts we have engaged with in class (both texts we have read in class and outside texts with instructor approval, including texts from the same period, genre, a similar central theme, etc.) or you can focus your analysis on a single text. If the student engages with a text or concept from outside the course, the paper must properly contextualize and describe said text for a reader unfamiliar with it.
Consider this paper a compilation of all the previous assignments of the course. Thus, you will incorporate a concise summary of the text/s analyzed, close analysis of passages/scenes from the chosen text/s, and critical theoretical research from other scholars all in support of your final argument.
As for the structure of your essay, you should make a claim in the form of a clear argumentative thesis with an easily identifiable “so what?”, i.e., a firmly established reason your reader should be invested in the topic of your paper. In the body of your paper, explain and support your thesis with evidence and innovative analysis. Remember: DO NOT rely on summary of plot points and the content of text alone. In addition, you must incorporate the voices of other scholars into your paper in the form of peer-reviewed scholarly research to contextualize your claims. (Note: You are welcome to DISAGREE with scholars incorporated into your paper, as long as you provide solid evidence to support your claims.) You are encouraged to bring in various theoretical frameworks.
This paper should have a clear thesis making an innovative claim about the student’s chosen topic. This claim must be supported by evidence in the form of sound academic/critical research [at least 3 sources]. The paper will be graded on the same standards of grammar and clarity established throughout the course. The final research paper must be 2000+ words.
Format: MLA Style. 12-pt Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1″ margins, name
and date, paginated, at least 3 properly cited sourcesFormat: MLA Style. 12-pt Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1″ margins, name
and date, paginated, at least 3 properly cited sources
Edgar Allen Poe Source:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_murders_in_the_rue_morgue.pdfhttps://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_murders_in_the_rue_morgue.pdf
or
Uncle Tom’s cabin
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/203-h.htm#chap01https://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/203-h.htm#chap01
You can choose whichever one would make a better paper 🙂