English IV Honors Assignment ~ Second Semester
Literary Research Paper: Their Eyes Were Watching God
For your Senior Research Paper, you will use both primary and secondary sources to discuss an important aspect of the
novel Their Eyes Were Watching God that contributed to its lasting impact on American literature. Students can also
include information on the historical time period (The Great Depression or The Harlem Renaissance) to demonstrate how
the times impacted the authors, their characters, and the general attitudes possessed throughout the works. Your essay will
be about 1200-1500 words (4 to 5 pages), and will include both primary source information from the novel, and secondary
source material from literary critics and historians who have analyzed the significance of the issue you are choosing to
address in your paper.
Topics for Exploration
Symbolism and Imagery in the novel
The novel as a “quest”
The search for identity
Race, Language, and Culture
Wealth and Class
Folklore and Storytelling
Narrative Voice
The role of Nature
Music, Blues, and The Renaissance
Treatment of Women
New Roman or Arial, with 1 inch margins. In addition, your essay must:
o Avoid excessive plot summary.
o Have an appropriate and original title.
o Have a clearly defined thesis as the last sentence(s) in your introduction.
o Incorporate evidence from your primary source. Make sure that the quotes adequately support the
specific point you are proving.
o Use at least two other informative, reliable, sources that support your thesis. We will cover how to
quote and paraphrase information from sources following MLA format. Do not use “Google” or
any other search engine. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA. Use approved Library Databases (Literature
Resource Center, Jstor, Project Muse, SIRS, Proquest, Infotrac, etc). Please note: you may use
applicable class handouts as sources.
o Be organized into paragraphs.
o Be written in third person point of view and maintain the literary present tense.
o Try to avoid the first person (I, me, my) or using phrases such as: “In this quote we see,” “I believe
this quote shows,” or “I think.” Instead, use “the reader notes,” “(the author) argues/espouses,” “(the
author)’s language demonstrates/reveals/underscores.”
o Include a Works Cited (last page).
o Be submitted to Turnitin.com (or emailed to msantiago@somersetacademy.com) by the due date.
o Avoid the use of contractions (couldn’t, shouldn’t, can’t, isn’t), slang, fragments, run-ons, fluff words
(things, great, a lot, so, like, stuff, very, good).
o Be grammatically and mechanically STELLAR…Proofread, proofread, proofread!
o Use 8 1⁄2 by 11 WHITE paper only and 1” margins on all sides.
o Use a header that will state your last name and the page number.
o Have a title page that looks like this:
▪ _______/ 60 points- Content & Organization (Relevance to thesis/ argument is successfully
proven and cohesive)
▪ _______/ 20 points- Quotes from both primary and secondary sources (Note: You may
include only ONE block quote within your research paper)
▪ _______/ 20 points- Grammar conventions/ parenthetical citation/ MLA format
▪ _______/ 20 points- Works Cited Page (bibliography)
▪ _______/ 15 points- Adherence to requirements listed on this assignment sheet
o Thesis due- 2/12 (B); 2/16 (A)
o Outline due- 2/19 (B); 2/22 (A)
o First page (Intro+1 Body) due- 2/25 (B); 2/26 (A)
o Final paper due- Tuesday, March 9th by 11:59pm to Turnitin.com
analysis (literary criticism) for your secondary sources. Suggested databases include:
o Gale Academic OneFile
o Literature Resource Center
o Salem Press
“Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit, where I
hope to find not absolute truth but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart.”
~ Salman Rushdie
o MLA Style Guide
o Citation Machine
o Grammarly
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