Research Essay: Due Tuesday, November 21 at the start of class

 MLA-Formatted Research Essay: Baldwin, Okorafor, Lispector

Required Draft Due: November 16 no later than the start of class. Upload to Populi. This is required and will count for 5 of the 20 points. We will have a critique this day. 

Final Paper Due: November 21 no later than the start of class. Upload to Populi.

These three stories are really different, yet they share certain elements. Like all of the short fiction we've encountered this semester, they all feature art and artists in one way or another. Baldwin and Okorafor write about social justice issues and musical artists. Baldwin's story is rooted in real life, Harlem circa 1940s. Okorafor's story takes place in Nigeria in an unspecified future time.  Some people would classify Okorafor's "Spider the Artist" as science fiction or speculative fiction. 

Clarice Lispector's story, "Amor", explores the interior spaces and psychology of an artist who can no longer practice their art. It shares a theme with "The Yellow Wallpaper" yet goes about it in a completely different way. 

You have a lot of options with this essay. For instance, you can choose a single author's story for analysis, interpretation, and "real-life" application. You can also choose two or all three stories to weave into your analysis. The primary question is simple: What does this story (or stories) have to say about the role of art and artists in culture and society? What power do they have? Why? How can you tell in the text itself? Show, don't tell. The secondary question is also simple: What relevance (meaning) does your chosen story or stories have to do with you and your life (your dreams and desires) as an artist and designer? 

All successful essays will:

==> Demonstrate a clear understanding of the story or stories by using effective primary quotations.

==> Avoid plot summary. Assume that your reader has already read the story or stories. 

==> Display lively and specific writing that is attentive to tone, audience, and rhetorical situation.

==> Incorporate at least three secondary resources (research) that are appropriate to college writing. Jstor is a sure bet. Do not use Google to do all of your research. 

==> Show how the ideas in the story or stories are relevant to you and the time we live in. 

==> Employ standard MLA format. See Purdue's OWL for details. Click here.

==> Show evidence of careful and painstaking revision and editing. Casual errors in grammar and mechanics should be eliminated. 

This assignment is worth double the points (20) of our other assignments because it's more complicated, demanding, and time-consuming. Please be aware that this assignment will take multiple stages. It will be impossible to get it done in a single session. Research, writing, revising, and editing: They all take time. 

All final papers should end up being 4-6 double-spaced pages not including a separate Works Cited page with at least 4 entries. If your paper is longer than 6 full pages, that's ok. If your paper is shorter than 4 full pages, that's a sign that it needs to be developed further. 

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu