The Norton Anthology of American Literature VOLUME A

 Instructions The paper should be about an author from the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, Volume A. Research and Documentation At minimum, the essay should quote and cite from the original works, but outside research may also be necessary, depending on the prompt. Because each selection involves some level of research, whether within or outside our anthologies, document all sources in MLA format: quotes, in-text citations, and a Works Cited page. Use Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (aka the OWL at Purdue) to assist with questions about MLA format. The Resources for Writers section of our D2L page is also full of helpful links for all your citation questions. When looking for outside research, use Roane State’s library databases to help locate credible sources. The “Databases by Subject” section is especially useful in narrowing down your topic to categories such as “Literature” and “History,” both of which are recommended, considering the time period of our literature course. Google Scholar is another site you can use to locate sources, although you may be prompted to pay for the articles; the databases Roane State subscribes to will never ask you to pay to see the full text. Use the “Ask a Librarian” feature if you need help locating articles, including ones from Google Scholar that are behind a pay-wall. The chat option is especially helpful for real-time assistance. When quoting, follow the Quote Sandwich method: (1) Introduce the quote; (2) Provide and cite the quote; (3) Comment on the quote. (See the Resources for Writers section for Quote Sandwich-related documents.) Avoid copying and pasting chunks of sources into your paper; instead, smoothly integrate quotes into your sentences. Good writing requires thought and idea organization, not simply dumping another person’s words (even if correctly cited) into your paper. Final drafts that are missing quotes, in-text citations, and/or Works Cited entries will not receive a grade, and the late policy will take effect until corrections have been made. Plagiarized drafts of any kind (first or final) will receive a zero. Format and Length Tip: Use the “How to Format a Paper” handout to double-check your formatting. 12-point, Times New Roman font MLA formatted quotes, in-text citations, and Works Cited page Length: 3-5 pages (not including the Works Cited page) Prompt: Select a favorite poem from the book and do a close reading of it. Possibilities for deeper analysis include the poet’s choice of language, colors, and topics. Also pay attention to the way something is described; seemingly small details always lend themselves to a rewarding close-reading. Outside sources for this particular prompt may come from credible popular sources (i.e., websites that would appear when doing a Google search on information about dictionary definitions and common cultural archetypes).