Ms. O’Reilly
Requirements:
1. MUST be typed. No exceptions.
a. Double-space everything (even your heading).
b. Standard margins
c. Use font size Times New Roman 12. Do not use any other fonts.
2. Must be a minimum of 3 complete typed pages of written text (so one word on the fourth). The length does NOT include the outline or works cited page. Your paper must have a beginning, middle and end. Include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.
3. Must have proper heading which lists the student’s name, teacher’s name and class period, course title, and date. Title your paper as well.
4. Must use MLA format of documentation and Works Cited Page. Try using www.easybib.com for help.
5. The thesis statement must be approved by the teacher prior to beginning the writing process. The thesis must suggest a high level of analytical thinking about events, literary techniques, or characters that appear in the play. (See topics list on p. 2.)
6. You must use at least three (3) sources for your critical paper. One source will be the primary source (Hamlet) and the other two sources will be secondary sources (the critical articles). Internet sources must be from IMC-approved databases only.
a. You may NOT use dictionaries or encyclopedias as part of the two secondary required sources. These reference materials are too general in nature.
b. You may NOT use sources such as Cliffs Notes, Spark Notes, Monarch Notes, etc. These “sources” are abstractions and summaries of primary sources.
c. All sources must be properly documented with paraphrased ideas and direct quotations.
d. All sources must be included in the Works Cited Page.
7. Your paper must contain at least 8 primary source quotes.
8. You must include at least 4 secondary source quotes in your paper. Quotes must relate directly to your thesis.
Papers must be handed in on the due date – January 5 by 2:12 p.m. If you are absent, send your paper to school and leave it in my mailbox in F036. Your paper must also be submitted electronically to www.turnitin.com. Failure to hand in a paper by the due date will result in a “0” for the paper, and an “F” for the marking period regardless of whether or not you are in school on the due date.9. I will not accept computer problems or printer problems as an excuse for not submitting your work on time.
Grade Breakdown
Technique Points 50 points (tallied separately)
Final Draft 150 points (see grading rubric)
Keep track of your technique points and due dates!
Date Due Possible Points
1. Primary Notes (Theme Dialectical Journal) ___12/12/14____ 50 (separate grade)
2. Thesis statement (typed) ___12/16/14____ 10
3. Secondary Notes ___12/19/14_ __ 5
4. Final Outline (typed) ____1/5/15______15
5. Rough Draft (typed) ____1/7/15______20
Thesis Statement
1. This paper’s focus is critical in nature. It is not the type of research paper that simply analyzes a topic without “passing judgment” on the given subject matter. Your purpose is to prove a given point about a literary piece.
2. Sample Thesis Statement:
Though Hamlet’s decision to exact revenge on his uncle is repeatedly hindered by his sense of morality and religious ethics, his animalistic nature wins out, and his impulsive responses to personal threats demonstrate that he too is capable of performing brutal acts.3. A thesis statement explicitly outlines the purpose or point of your paper.
4. A thesis statement should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take.
5. A thesis statement is normally placed in the first paragraph of your paper near the end of your introductory paragraph.
6. It takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a given topic. Don’t tell me about something. Tell me “what about” something. Answer the questions “How?” and “Why?”
7. The thesis statement should be sufficiently narrow and specific that your supporting points are necessary and not arbitrary.
8. It must pass the “So what?” question. In other words, the thesis must be of inherent interest and importance to the reader. “Tell me something new about something I care about” (Barbara Frum). Your thesis (and topic) should be something worth arguing about.
9. If you develop a traditional 3-prong approach, your thesis statement must be parallel in structure.
Research Resources – Types
1. Sources of research act as pieces of evidence to support your thesis statement.
2. There are basically two types of sources: primary and secondary.
Ø A primary source is an original document or account that is not about another document or account but stands on its own. When you write your critical paper, the novel or play is the primary source. The date of an experiment would also be considered a primary source.
Ø Secondary sources are ones that interpret primary sources or are otherwise a step removed from the original material. The critical articles provide an analytical or investigate statement about the primary source. Secondary sources help prove and support your thesis.
3. Critically read and evaluate your sources.
a. Look at the publication date. If it is outdated, you may not want to use it.
b. Who is the author? What credentials does this person have? Is this person from a reputable organization or educational institution?
c. What is the purpose of your source? If it is to persuade you, be sure to read it critically for missing information, etc.
4. Web Evaluation – Be careful with web sites. You should be able to identify the author and/or organization clearly. Often web sites are used to promote an organization’s ideas, so be cautious that the information may be slanted.
Note-Taking Methods
You are welcome to use the MLA format of note-taking that you have used for critical and research papers in the past. This includes using bibliography cards, note cards, and an MLA-style outline.
If you choose this format, your requirements are: Note Cards (5-7 secondary)
Slug Source #“Direction quotation, paraphrased material”
Provide your analysis of how this information/example will help you prove your thesis under the direction quote.
Act, Scene, lines (if primary)
Other Methods of Note-Taking
The Cornell Method
The Cornell method provides a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes without laborious recopying. After writing the notes in the main space, use the left-hand space to label each idea and detail with a key word or "cue."
How to use it – see attached example. Use one page per source or area of thesis.
Advantages - Organized and systematic for recording and reviewing notes. Easy format for pulling out major concept and ideas. Simple and efficient. Saves time and effort. "Do-it-right-in-the-first-place" system.
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The Mapping Method
Mapping is a method that uses comprehension/concentration skills and evolves in a note-taking form which relates each fact or idea to every other fact or idea. Mapping is a graphic representation of the content being studied.
How to use it – see example below. Use one map per source or area of thesis.
Advantages - This format helps you to visually track your information regardless of conditions. Little thinking is needed and relationships can easily be seen. It is also easy to edit your notes by adding numbers, marks, and color coding. Main points can be written on flash or note cards and pieced together into a table or larger structure at a later date.
Example -
Charting Method
If the lecture or text format is distinct (such as chronological), you may set up your paper by drawing columns and labeling appropriate headings in a table.
How to use it – see example below. Determine the categories to be covered by the text. Set up your paper in advance by columns headed by these categories. As you read, record information (words, phrases, main ideas, etc.) in the appropriate category.
Advantages - Helps you track conversation and dialogues where you would normally be confused and lose out on relevant content. Reduces amount of writing necessary. Provides easy review mechanism for both memorization of facts and study of comparisons and relationships.
When to Use - Test will focus on both facts and relationships. Content is heavy and presented fast. You want to get an overview of the whole topic on one big paper sequence.
Example- Chart format for a history class:
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The Sentence Method
This method is very similar to using note cards. Write every new thought, fact or topic on a separate line, numbering as you progress.
How to use it – see example below. Use one page per source or area of thesis.
Advantages - Slightly more organized than the paragraph. Gets more or all of the information.
When to Use - Use when the information is somewhat organized, but heavy with content. You read the different points, but you don't know how they fit together. The text tends to present in point fashion, but not in grouping such as "three related points."
Examples of the Sentence Method -
Example 1: A revolution is any occurrence that affects other aspects of life, such as economic life, social life, and so forth. Therefore revolutions cause change. (See page 29 to 30 in text about this.)
Sample Notes:
Revolution - occurrence that affects other aspects of life: e.g., econ., socl., etc. C.f. text, pp. 29-30
Example 2: Melville did not try to represent life as it really was. The language of Ahab, Starbuck, and Ishmael, for instance, was not that of real life.
Sample Notes: Mel didn't repr. life as was; e.g., lang. of Ahab, etc. not of real life.
MLA Outline – ALL PAPERS REQUIRE AN MLA OUTLINE REGARDLESS THE NOTE-TAKING METHOD USED.
o Outlines provide a template for your writing – like a road map to where you want to go with your writing and your words. Use them effectively to help you as best as possible. Be clear as they also serve as a road map for your reader.
o Your paper must follow your outline.
Using Another Author’s Ideas in Your Writing
As a writer, you have two choices as to how to incorporate another author’s words into your writing:
· Paraphrase – use the author’s idea, but state it in your own words.
· Direct Quotation – Use the author’s exact words, putting them in quotation marks.
Both of these options require parenthetical documentation and source recognition in the Works Cited page.
Also, both options require proper embedding of details, as we have studied.
To Quote or Not to Quote?
Use these two questions to determine whether or not to document specifics of a formal research/critical paper:
· Does the wording belong to someone else?
· Would it bolster my paper’s authority to use these exact words?
If “yes,” use quotation marks and properly embed the quotation.
Introductory Paragraph
-Start with a universal or broad statement, something related to the topic of your paper but general enough that someone who knows nothing about Hamlet would be able to relate to/understand it. (The stages of grief are far from linear.)
-Connect your broad statement to the book, naming the title and the author. (In the tragic play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the title character experiences a sudden, shocking loss.)
-Give setting, plot, and theme information about the book. (Initially thought to be a terrible accident, the late King’s death is soon revealed to his son as a murder, and the prince must digest this news and determine a course of action.)
-Briefly discuss Holden as a character, focusing on the aspect you will address in your thesis. (However, the pressures of his responsibilities as future king, loyal son, grieving child, and faithful disciple soon converge, resulting in emotional turmoil.)
-Thesis Statement—this should be the last sentence in your introduction. (Hamlet’s decision to exact revenge on his uncle is hindered by his sense of morality and religious ethics, which suggest he should do nothing; ultimately, it is his spontaneous response to personal threat that leads him to carry out his dead father’s wish, which is a selfish act rather than one of loyalty and devotion.)
Introduction Reproduced:
The stages of grief are far from linear, and a person’s response to the death of someone they love can manifest in a variety of internal and external conflicts. In the tragic play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the title character experiences a sudden, shocking loss. Initially thought to be a terrible accident, the late King’s death is soon revealed to his son as a murder, and the prince must digest this news and determine a course of action. However, the pressures of his responsibilities as future king, grieving child, and faithful disciple soon converge, resulting in emotional turmoil. Hamlet’s decision to exact revenge on his uncle is hindered by his sense of morality and religious ethics, which suggest he should do nothing; ultimately, it is his spontaneous response to personal threat that leads him to carry out his dead father’s wish, which is a selfish act rather than one of loyalty and devotion.
Recipe for Body Paragraph Sequence
First Paragraph:
1. Analytical topic sentence that introduces the “subtopic” of this whole main body section
2. Separate sentence of analysis that introduces the “category” of the first example/self-evident.
3. Imbedded self-evident in your first point of analysis (first primary example).
4. Build your argument with your other points of analysis, supporting quote(s), and thread words. (multiple sentences, all your own words – possibly a secondary support quote imbedded into your own analysis)
5. Transitional sentence to move to next paragraph within same body section.
New Paragraph:
1. Sentence of transitional analysis that introduces the “category” of the second example/self-evident.
2. Imbedded self-evident in your first point of analysis (second primary example).
3. Build your argument with your other points of analysis, supporting quote(s), and thread words. (multiple sentences, all your own words – possibly a secondary support quote imbedded into your own analysis)