English 101—Research Paper:

  • Proposal due 12/2
  • Peer-Editing Drafts due 12/9
  • Final Draft due 12/16

Prompt:

William Attaway’s Blood on the Forge portrays complex layers of physical and psychological conflict, and the result is a haunting work of social criticism. Blood on the Forge is, among many things, a protest novel, and its representations of poverty, violence, and exploitation convey its protest.

Incorporating your own research and using as many patterns of development as needed for your purpose, write an extended definition essay defining the novel as a work of social critique. Considering what others have written about Blood on the Forge, develop your own interpretation and declare it in a well-focused and comprehensive thesis statement supported by logical argument, pertinent examples from the text, and effective use of secondary sources.

Requirements:

  • Minimum:5 1/2 pages (not counting the works cited page), typed, 12-point font, double-spaced, in MLA format. Your entire essay needs to be consistently double-spaced from top to bottom, in between paragraphs, and throughout the works cited entries.
  • Form: Your essay needs a title, an introduction paragraph that builds up to a clear thesis statement, sufficient supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph with closing remarks. Note: Be sure to give your essay a creative and descriptive title to orient your reader and generate interest in your topic. Your introduction should further develop interest and situate you reader before declaring your thesis.
  • Formatting: Your essay needs to accurately follow all MLA guidelines for research papers, including its headers, heading, borders, indents, spacing, and mechanics.
  • Research: Incorporate five peer-reviewed secondary sources as supporting evidence reinforcing your main point. Quote from each article at least once. Access articles through Mission College Library’s online databases. Note: Darryl Pinckney’s introduction to the novel may be used as a secondary source.
  • Quotation: Every quotation must be made part of your own sentence and requires parenthetical reference with page number and author name. The author’s name should be omitted if you state it while introducing the quote. Always follow MLA mechanics of quotation and documentation, including proper placement of punctuation and parenthesis. Note: Quotations longer than four lines require block quotation formatting.
  • Documentation: Include a works cited page formatted according to MLA guidelines. It should have six citation entries: one for Blood on the Forge and one for each of your five secondary sources. MLA guidelines require that a list of works cited have a page number, consistent double spacing, half inch hanging indents, and specific ordering of information and punctuation. Note: While Darryl Pinckney’s introduction to the novel may be used as a secondary source, it requires its own work cited entry and parenthetical references.

Your essay will be scored holistically, based on content, completeness of your response, support from the text, effective use of researched material and quotations, MLA formatting, conventions of English writing, including spelling, grammar, and usage, in addition to readability.