Draft an argumentative essay 67 pages long on a topic of your own choosing, but centered around the themes, formal techniques, and/or cultural issues of one of the texts we have read this semester.
Develop your ideas to push beyond the obvious. Ask yourself, “So what?” when making an argument, and try to answer that question in your writing.
Organize your paper around a strong thesis statement, and use topic sentences to arrange your ideas.
Use quotes from the novel, stories, poems, or essays to support your argument and develop your thoughts.
In addition, cite at least one outside source to support your argument. Your outside source must be of critical/academic/theoretical value relating to your argument. This means a scholarly article from a peer-reviewed journal, preferably focused on literature. If you’d like to cite additional material, that’s fine. See me if you have questions.
Avoid lengthy summary, especially plot summary, and instead focus on what you want to argue.
Follow standard MLA formatting guidelines (1-inch margins, last name and page numbers in the upper right-hand corner, double-spaced, Times New Roman or similar font, etc.).