Instructions
The Research Essay
Assignment: Write a formal analysis of the film The Notebook (2004). The analysis should be 850-1400 words, typed double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, standard margins left, right, top, and bottom (the standards used for MLA format).
This essay must be written to conform to the Modern Language Association (MLA) format requirements.
On the first page of your essay, in the upper left corner, include the following information about your name and report title. Do not include a separate cover page.
Your name
Professor’s name
Course abbreviation/number: ENG 2145
Date
Word Count
Title of your report (centered): This must be a meaningful and complete title, such as “An Analysis of how the Myth of the American West was Re-interpreted in Unforgiven (1979) by filmmaker Clint Eastwood.” The title should contain the movie’s title (in italics), date of release (in parentheses), director or filmmaker’s name, and the main point of your analysis.
On every page of the report (after the first), type your last name in the upper right corner (as a page header), followed by the page number.
The body of the analysis should contain the following information immediately after the name and report name as noted above.
1. An effective introductory paragraph that leads into a final thesis sentence must be written. This first paragraph should lead into a clear thesis statement that enumerates (“previews”) what you will be doing in your paper.
2. The introduction must be followed by an analysis of the director’s or filmmaker’s style, including information on the genre of the movie and how the director or filmmaker works within the genre. In this analysis, in addition to using and citing the course texts, you must refer to (and cite correctly) 1-3 relevant books or articles that relate directly to your thesis. These three other resources may not include encyclopedias (such as Wikipedia), dictionaries, other general reference works, or study guides, (such as Sparknotes, CliffsNotes, or other similar resources). While these types of resources do not count toward the 1-3-article or book minimum, if you do happen to include information from any of them, you must cite such information according to MLA standards, and they must be included on the Works Cited list.
3. Dedicate 1-2 paragraphs to a discussion of the technical aspects of the movie: cinematography (camera techniques and angles, lighting, use of sets, costumes, color, etc.), editing, acting, and sound.
4. Dedicate 1-2 paragraphs to a discussion (in detail, with examples) of how this film reveals something about the American experience, identity, and culture of the time in which the film is set (the masculinity that is portrayed in The Notebook, etc.)
5. Do not write in the first person (e.g., “In my opinion…”, “I think that…,” or “When I saw the movie,” etc.)
In preparing your essay according to these criteria, be sure it contains direct references to both the movie and to sources consulted (with proper in-text citations, plus inclusion of each citation on a correctly formatted Works Cited page). Your paper must analyze cinema techniques and should not summarize the plot. All sources used must conform to the Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation format (see the course syllabus for details).
Identify the movie when it is mentioned the first time in your text by including its director and its release date. The Works Cited entry should include that material, in addition to the name of the studio that produced the movie.
