Choose one of the following research topics (i.e., contexts) and one or two of the texts listed beneath it (choose no more than two primary texts to analyze and interpret).

Choose one of the following research topics (i.e., contexts) and one or two of the texts listed beneath it (choose no more than two primary texts to analyze and interpret). Once youve selected your topic and text(s), your task will be to conduct research on the topic and compose a detailed analysis (5-7 pages) that accomplishes the following:

1. Uses credible sources, including at least two academic journal articles, to present detailed background information about the text and context from your own research.

2. Makes a claim that situates your chosen text within its context (i.e., within the “bigger picture”), making connections between the two (text and context).

The goal is to use secondary sources to help you analyze the text more deeply and present an interpretation that is informed by research.

Include a clear thesis statement, cite your sources using in-text documentation in MLA style (i.e., signal phrases and parenthetical citations), and include a Works Cited page in MLA style (refer to this week’s handouts, and see me or the tutors in any of our campus libraries with any questions).

Your final draft should be 5-7 full pages in length (plus a Works Cited page) and should incorporate at least five sources, in addition to the primary text(s) youve chosen to analyze and interpret.

See below for a list of approved topics and their corresponding texts.

Note 1: These are merely suggestions. If you have another idea for a text-and-context combination not included below, feel free to contact me to discuss.

Note 2: You must choose a different text from the one you chose for the previous essay (“Making Claims about Literature”).