Narrative of the Life

  • Novel: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass

Step 1: Find, Identify, and Evaluate

In this assignment, you will write an expository essay in which you find, identify, and evaluate the chosen novel using a historical, cultural, or rhetorical standpoint in the analysis. Students will choose one of these analyses and make a specific thesis and main ideas and find evidence utilizing the novel and at least (3) outside scholarly resources to support the claims. The essay should include evidence from the novel and utilize outside scholarly resources in either direct quote or paraphrase in support of the main ideas. The essay should be a minimum of 400 words not counting the cover page, notes, footnotes, endnotes, or the bibliography page.  It is highly encouraged to exceed the minimum word count in order to fully analyze the thesis; meeting minimum requirements will often mean earning the minimum grade.

Using the novel you chose, write an expository essay in which you explain its historical, cultural, rhetorical context. Note: Do not just summarize the novel’s events; the main focus should be analyzing your chosen method, making a claim, and supporting it with the novel and outside resources, then analyzing it in your own words.  Avoid overusing your resources as a replacement for original analysis.

Step 2: Length and Formatting

The essay should contain a hook, a thesis statement, relevancy, transition sentences, an introduction of the problem or issue, an explanation of the topic’s significance, a debatable claim, and an explanation of how the thesis contributes to the conversation in a meaningful way along with the conclusion. This essay should not be written in first-person (I, we, us) or second-person (you) perspective. The essay should be five paragraphs and contain approximately three to five sentences expressing your ideas clearly, with transition sentences that link one idea to the next. The conclusion should include a restatement of the thesis sentence, final thoughts, a summary of the main ideas, and a closing statement.

Requirements

Your essay should be five paragraphs long. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence followed by a quote from the text that illustrates the historical, cultural, or rhetorical context that you will analyze. This quote should be followed by information you have learned from source(s) other than the primary text. Your analysis should support your topic sentence. Your completed paper should be a minimum of 400 words written in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. You must include in-text citations on a separate “Works Cited” page.

While the paper should be a minimum of 400 words, it means 400 of your own original words. The quotes, cover page, notes, footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography page will not count toward the word limit. Use quotes that are no longer than 20 words.  Direct quote that exceeds four lines of prose or three lines of verse (poetry) should be in block quote format.  Please note: the use of block quotations should be rare, if at all.  Put the word count at the top of your paper. It is highly encouraged to exceed the minimum word count to analyze the thesis fully; meeting minimum requirements often means earning the minimum grade.