Historical Analysis Paper American Literature 11CP

Choose one of the short stories weve read in class (or choose one from the list provided, or from your own reading, by approval) and write a research paper in which you explore the historical/political/social climate of the time the story was written or takes place. You will write an argumentative essay that analyzes the way in which the political/social issues of the time period influenced the authors work. You will examine how the author incorporates these issues into his/her text, by looking closely at quotations and evidence from the text and your research. Questions to consider while reading and researching: What were some significant historical/political/social/cultural issues of the time the story takes place? What were some of these issues during the time the story was written? How was the author influenced by these issues/events? How do we see these influences in the text? What do these issues reveal about the text? What questions does the author raise about American life in their writing? Why were these events so important and significant? Why are these events significant today? General Requirements: 12 sources (print, web, graph/image, multimedia, personal experience, critical analysis) 1400 1600 words; MLA formatting; includes works cited Incorporates a minimum of 4 quotations from the text & 6 historical references (all using proper parenthetical citations) Sources need to be annotated (marked up) with at least 3 annotations per sourceall sources will be submitted with the final essay as a packet Various checkpoints throughout the writing process to track and monitor progress (and to provide valuable feedback for revision! Includes thesis draft check, source check, draft checks 1 & 2) Thesis must address BOTH the political/social/historical influences & the approved text. Historical Analysis Essay Timeline October 3rd story/text and topic for approval October 10th thesis draft (you must have read your story by this point) October 17th Introduction and 1st body paragraph October 24th Source packet checkpoint (8 annotated sources) November 1st 2nd, 3rd and 4th body paragraphs due (draft check #1) November 14th complete drafts due (draft check #2) in class Writers Workshop: editing November 23rd Final drafts due & source packets (completely annotated, 12 sources) due. *While 1400-1600 words seems like a daunting task, if you meet these checkpoints on time you will easily finish this paper with success. Note, the draft checkpoints are designed to give me ample time to provide feedback, and to give you time to revise your writing. Therefore, these deadlines are strict and any late work submitted is not guaranteed to be handed back in a timely manner. CA-Language Arts Standards: Writing Applications 2.2 Response to literature & 2.4 Historical investigation reports.

Possible texts to choose from: The Yellow Wallpaper (Gilman) The Things They Carried (OBrien) The Birthmark (Hawthorne) Rip Van Winkle (Irving) Pauls Case (Cather) Barn Burning (Faulkner) **Sonnys Blues (Baldwin) Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving) The Devil and Daniel Webster (Benet) Battle Royal (Ellison) Civil Disobedience (Thoreau) A Raisin in the Sun (Hansberry) The Story of an Hour (Chopin)

*This list is by no means exhaustive. If there is another short story or full-length novel/play youve read that lends itself to historical analysis and research, I encourage you to choose that text. All texts and topics are subject to my approval. **If you decide to write about Sonnys Blues you will have to choose a topic that is different from the examples I use in class, as this will be my sample paper. You will need to choose your text and topic and submit them for my approval no later than Monday, October 3rd. I recommend you read a short synopsis of your story to help give you an idea of the historical context of the story and to guide you in your topic choice. Sample topics include, but are not limited to: - Sonnys Blues and oppression of Blacks in America prior to the Civil Rights Movement - The Yellow Wallpaper and womens suffrage - Rip Van Winkle and post-Revolutionary War America - Barn Burning and class division in the South

CA-Language Arts Standards: Writing Applications 2.2 Response to literature & 2.4 Historical investigation reports.