the ap literary analysis research...

A P R e s e a r c h P r o j e c t | 1

The AP Literary Analysis Research Project

For your final project, you will be selecting a novel, poetry, short stories, artwork, music, and non-fiction in an effort to create a thematic unit of your own. You will also compose a 5-8 page research paper that utilizes one (or more) literary criticism theories to analyze significant literary elements of the novel (such as character, setting, symbolism, metaphor, irony, etc.) and how these develop a universal theme that you have identified from the work. It is your job to prove that you have mastered the course objectives:

1. How to analyze literature and its various elements in connection to a work’s themes, historical importance, social commentary, and author techniques.

2. How to locate, evaluate, and use legitimate research 3. How to connect different mediums thematically 4. How to annotate effectively 5. How to effectively and creatively organize research and analysis 6. How to use MLA format correctly 7. How to write a well-organized, well-researched, multi-sourced, deeply analyzed paper 8. How to use the elements of grammar to write an effective paper 9. How to use a wide vocabulary 10. How to create and organize a portfolio 11. How to create and execute a professional presentation including the use of visual aids such as

PowerPoint 12. How to manage and organize your time efficiently and effectively

Step One: You will choose a novel from the list below (you may have to acquire your own copy because I have a limited supply). The novel is the foundation piece for everything else you will do to create your unit (themes, historical connections, social commentary, and literary techniques/styles): Hamlet by William Shakespeare (if not read in class) Macbeth by William Shakespeare (if not read in class) The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare King Lear by William Shakespeare The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde No Exit by Jen Paul Sartre (if not read in class) East of Eden by John Steinbeck (length may be a concern) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (if not read in class) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (length may be a concern) The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (if not read in class) Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (if you did not read it last year) Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut Brave New World by Aldous Huxley A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (if not read in class) The Awakening by Kate Chopin The Color Purple by Alice Walker


Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Known World by Edward P. Jones (multiple characters, anachronistic, but a good read) The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (if not read in class) The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko Silence by Shusaku Endo A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse The Stranger by Albert Camus The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Frankenstein by Mary Shelley By special permission: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (length may be a concern) My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Atonement by Ian McEwan The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot (if not read in class) The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (must be compared and contrasted with another short story, novel, or drama) Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois The Road by Cormac McCarthy (if not read previously) Step Two: Take notes for a reading journal. You may wish to research the historical background and author’s information related to the novel, so that you can come up with important themes, historical ideas, and information about the author that can lead to a more informed understanding of why and how the work was written. This will enable you to have a focus for your journal while you


are reading that novel. The reading journal, of course, is the foundation for your final essay focus. The more ideas you investigate for your reading journal, the more choices you will have for your final essay. YOU MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 25 COMPLEX AND PROFOUND ANALYTICAL ENTRIES THAT FOCUS ON THE SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION YOU DISCOVER WHILE YOU READ THE NOVEL AND COMPLETE YOUR RESEARCH. Also keep a vocabulary log. Choose 25 words to define and use in a sentence of your own. You have control over how useful this is to you. Choose frequent, loaded, or challenging words and expand your vocabulary! It can also give you more details regarding the author’s style.

Step Three: Choose at least one literary criticism theory to apply to your novel. You may benefit from researching more about a particular literary criticism theory. (Remember the Dorian Gray presentations?) Print out and annotate every bit of research you find. You should have a minimum of three credible, academic sources. You may not use Cliff’s notes, sparknotes, shmoop, blogs, online encyclopedias (Wikipedia), student papers found online, etc. You may, however, use some of these sources to launch a search for credible sources. You must also create an annotated bibliography for each of these sources (see sample on pp. 5-8). (As you annotate, you may consider using three differently colored pens to annotate: one color for all vocabulary and definitions (including terms and ideas you are unfamiliar with); one color for questions; and one color for connections, themes, historical ideas, social commentary, and literary techniques. Create a key for your instructor to follow and stay consistent with your color-coding.) If you are exploring a formalist, biographical, or historical approach, you may wish to focus your preliminary research on answering questions like: o What is the setting of this novel? Why did the author set it in that time period? o How does that time period relate to issues brought up in the book? o What was happening in the world during this time period? Is that relevant to the content? o Why did the author write this book? o Are there any interesting facts about the author’s life that might help you understand the novel? o What ideas or beliefs does the author hold? What philosophical, religious, and/or cultural

beliefs or ideas are espoused by the author and which are criticized throughout the novel? o Is there anything typical about the genre of your novel? o What are some common themes or ideas that are encountered in books like this? o What are the common literary techniques and styles found in most novels of this time period or

genre? Step Four: Draft a working thesis statement and an outline of the logical progression of ideas for your final paper. Your working thesis statement should express a universal theme from the novel or drama you have read. Then, think of instances in the novel or play that support your chosen theme. These will become the Roman numerals for your essay outline. (See the example below on p.9.) Step Five: Write an essay (5-8 pages) in MLA format with a works cited page (with the sources you accessed throughout the entire project, including the preliminary research you did prior to reading) and internal citations addressing all that you have learned about this book and the related readings. Your essay must include a literary analysis of the novel using at least one approach to literary criticism that we have covered in class and how the aids in the development of a universal theme. You need at least three research sources: these sources should be those you used as primary research. Since you are creating the actual writing prompt for this essay , you need to be sure you have a really strong thesis and intro paragraph that make that prompt and the purpose of your essay clear to me. You should have at least three embedded quotes from the novel or from your


research in each paragraph. Your essay is a literary analysis paper primarily (not a historical analysis paper), so the historical or other source information you use in your essay is there to provide support for your literary analysis. If you embed an image into your paper, there still needs to be a minimum of five pages of written analysis. A completed paper will be due ____________. This draft will receive an AP rubric score and feedback. You will have a chance to revise your essay and turn that in with your portfolio. ANY ESSAY WITHOUT A WORKS CITED PAGE OR INTERAL CITATIONS OR THAT IS FEWER THAN FIVE COMPLETE PAGES WILL NOT BE GRADED.

Step Six: Develop a thematic unit topic. Find other art, poetry, non-fiction, music, and short stories that fit into this thematic unit as if you were teaching this novel as part of a thematic unit to a high school English class. You will need at least two poems, at least one short story and/or non-fiction piece, and two pieces of art (paintings, sculpture, film, music, etc.) that relate directly to the novel thematically or historically. You may find some of these related readings in your literature book, or on online poetry and short story archives (like poetryfoundation.org or shortstoryguide.com). You must then annotate these pieces in a manner of your choosing that clearly illustrates why you chose them and how they are relevant to your novel and overall thematic unit (in terms of the historical ideas, the societal commentary, the use of literary techniques and styles, etc.). Please type your annotations on a separate sheet of paper if you cannot handwrite legibly. Finally, draft a Proposal Letter (see p. 11 below) explaining the unit theme you would include this novel in and briefly explain what works you have chosen to include in the unit. If you were teaching this novel to high school students, why would you include these other related pieces of poetry, art, non-fiction, etc.? Step Seven: Build your portfolio. Obtain a clean three-ring binder for your essay, your annotated bibliographies, your reading journal and vocab log, your proposal letter, and copies of all of your research, poems, non-fiction, art, short stories, and everything else you have come up with over the course of this assignment. (See the rubric below.)

IF A PORTFOLIO IS TURNED IN WITHOUT AN ESSAY, NO POINTS WILL BE GIVEN TO THE ENTIRE PROJECT.

How will you be graded? 1. Your reading journals will be graded based on effort in critical thinking, depth and

complexity of analysis, thoughtfulness of the comments, and the significance of the thematic, historical, social, political, religious, and literary connections.

2. Your research will be graded on your ability to choose legitimate sources, analyze those sources in deep and meaningful ways, and then synthesize them effectively in your paper.

3. Your essay will receive a grade based on a modified 20-point rubric based on the AP scale. Significant errors in grammar mechanics (more than four errors per page), MLA formatting, and essay formatting will result in a grade penalty. It is expected that you will exhibit proficiency in embedding quotes and paraphrasing sources as well as utilizing legitimate sources to support your essay focus and analysis. (Using a legitimate source once is not enough.)

4. Your portfolio will be graded on your organization, completion, and presentation.


Due Dates Between Nov. 20 - Jan. 29 Choose and Read a Senior Project Novel On or before Jan. 22 Reading Journals (150 pts.) and Vocab Log (60 pts.) On or before Feb. 20 Three Annotated Bibliographies (9 Writing pts.)

On or before Feb. 26 Working Thesis Statement & Outline (100 pts.) On or before March 26 Initial Draft of Final Paper (10 Writing pts.)

On or before May 11 Final Portfolios (350 Misc. pts.) w/ revised essay (20 Writing pts.)

UNLESS MODIFIED BY THE TEACHER, THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 2:00pm ON THE DUE DATE SPECIFIED AND SHOULD BE HANDED DIRECTLY TO

YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER.

LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ½ CREDIT FOR ONE WEEK ONLY (TIME PERMITTING). AFTER THE ONE WEEK GRACE PERIOD, NO LATE WORK WILL BE

ACCEPTED.

Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography includes an MLA Works Cited page listing of your sources (check out citationmachine.net) followed by a summary, evaluation, and/or reflection of each of those

sources. The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to inform your professor of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following:

Summarize : Some annotated bibliographies merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? What insight does it

provide on your novel? What is it helping you to look for or think about? Evaluate/Assess: You need to legitimize your source for your teacher/professor. Is the

information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? Is the author qualified in his/her

field of study? Is the publisher reliable and qualified? Does the source offer a works cited page or other bibliographic information?

Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How will it help you shape your analysis? How can you use this source in your paper? How does it compare with other sources in

your bibliography? This is the place where you need to specifically explain the way the source actually addresses your research question/topic.


Your college annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even other elements. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines from

your instructor.

Here are some samples of annotated bibliographies that cover all three of the elements above. This should be typed in a 12 point font, Times New Roman with regular margins.

Gallagher 1

Havanna Gallagher

Mr. Bodell

AP English IV, per. 6

13 February 2015

Annotated Bibliography #1

Rosenbaum, Ron. "He’s Not Holden! The One Big Mistake People Make About Catcher in the

Rye." 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Ron Rosenbaum’s article “He’s Not Holden!” tells his readers that J.D. Salinger is not the main

character in his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, and that Holden Caulfield is a satirist who hates phonies.

Rosenbaum makes the point that readers of Salinger should not look to far into the text and it’s author and

that the work should speak for itself not the author. He believes that characters are supposed to be

different from the author: maybe someone they wish to be. He thinks that making a novel too complicated

only diminishes the meaning. He begins to talk about Salinger’s characters and how they may not relate to

Salinger, but they do relate to the young women he has dated. According to Rosenbaum, reading

Salinger’s work from different perspectives is the only way to create a full understanding of who Salinger

is.

The publisher Slate is a pretty good source and the article has its own works cited page, so that I

could make sure the information was credible. Rosenbaum is an author himself and is noted in many

sources like the Smithsonian and in magazines. The source is slightly biased because he is a fan of


Salinger’s work and believes that everyone should have the same understanding as him. He graduated

from Yale University and there he studied literature. He has the credentials for writing and although he’s

very opinionated, he makes some good points and he has facts to back them up.

This article is a good source for my research because it creates another perspective following the

ones from previous articles. There are those who criticize Salinger as a person and those who criticize him

as an author and that can be very useful. Rosenbaum has information on how Salinger doesn't resemble

his characters in his novel and stories. Other people in his life may resemble the characters, but there

shouldn't be a hidden meaning. Salinger’s thirst for youth in his everyday life becomes useful when

analyzing the questions from his novel. (more?!)

Katherine Wilcox

Mr. Bodell

AP English IV-4

6 February 2015

Annotated Bibliography #3 McInnus, Gilbert. "Evolutionary Mythology in the Writings of Kurt Vonnegut Jr." Samizdat.

Heldref Publications, 2005. Web. 05 Feb. 2015. 05 Feb. 2015.

<http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/vonnegut_ev_gm.htm>.

This article analyzes the role that evolutionary mythology plays in different Vonnegut

books. It attributes that the “chance element” is the primary driving force that influences various

characters in different books. It claims that when there is the element of chance, there can be no

God and appoints natural selection as the “almighty power that governs humanity.” This article claims that Vonnegut is trying to inform readers of the chance element and “gambling-casino-

luck” that influences the environment and society. When analyzing this article I primarily


focused on the commentary for Galapagos and Slaughter House 5 since these are books I have

read and I feel that I understand.

This source seems to be a credible source. The author McInnus has a PhD in English

Literature. He just recently published a monograph of the Evolutionary Mythology in the

Writings of Kurt Vonnegut. At the end of the website that has this article, McInnus provided a long list of works that he consulted in his article.

Despite this and his PhD in English, I do not agree with the majority of the analys is that

he has in this article. I think that the examples he used to support his claim of evolutionary

influence are stretched. I feel this way because when I read novels by Vonnegut it is not themes

of evolution that pop out at me, but instead themes of human ignorance and destructiveness. McInnus claims that the chance element in natural selection is the “almighty power” that controls

the fate of humanity. However, in the interview of Vonnegut that I listened to, Vonnegut claimed

that he did not completely believe in evolution creating such intelligent creatures. When

analyzing Slaughter House 5 McInnus claims that the Tralfamadorians teach Billy about life

without a “beginning, middle, or end,” resulting in Billy’s belief that “chance rules supreme”. However, Vonnegut uses the Tralfamadorians as a way to satirize people who pass through life

as if “trapped in amber” and not working to live life or stand up against human corruption. I do

not agree with the majority of the analyses that McInnus makes, and will not use it to support my

book. I will instead use Galapagos to rebuttal claims that are made in this article that I do not

agree with and that Vonnegut probably does not agree with.


RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE EXAMPLE

Make it easier for yourself and include citations with the ideas you plan to use!

Student 1

Awesome Student

Mr. Bodell

AP English IV, per. __

29 February 2016

Working Title: Trying to Catch Himself

THESIS QUESTION: How does Salinger develop the universal theme that people often feel ruined and long

for innocence?

THESIS STATEMENT: J.D. Salinger employs an unusual protagonist and extensive symbolism throughout

his coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye to expose the often concurrent human desires for innocence

and acceptance amidst universal human fears of failure, inadequacy, rejection, and death.

I. Unreliability of narrator and Caulfield’s fear of rejection. (Psychoanalytical Criticism)

A. The unreliability of Salinger’s narrator, Holden Caulfield, presents an interesting psychological

study for avoidance behavior and distrust, and these coping mechanisms serve to expose

Caulfield’s fear of rejection for being who he really is. (Topic Sentence)

1. The dangers of avoidance behavior (Howe)

2. How Caulfield manifests this.

B. Caulfield also manifests post-traumatic disorder in the way that he…

1. Post-traumatic stress disorder with loss of brother (Erlich).

3. This expresses Caulfield’s own desire for innocence and a return to some kind of purity

in his pining to return to the way things were

II. Salinger’s symbolism clearly develops the UT

A. The pond with the ducks representing…

B. The unchanging museum

C. The encounter with the prostitute

D. Holden imagining himself to be “the catcher in the rye”

III. Conclusion


Henry 1

Sample Works Cited

Adams, Joe. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb.

2009. (web page)

"The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Television.

Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington

Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print. (newspaper)

Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print. (magazine)

Foo Fighters. In Your Honor. RCA, 2005. CD. (music)

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print. (book)

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, Madrid. (art)

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping

Writers One to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34.

Print. (Works in an anthology or collection)

New American Standard Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print. (bible)

Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000. (personal interview)

The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz

Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film. (video)

(The bolded words at the end of each entry in parentheses are NOT part of the actual

works cited entry. These are just for your information.)

Note the Alpha-sorting! Need help with this stuff? citationmachine.net is pretty good.

Your paper must have a Works Cited to be graded! It should be the last page of your paper

(page 6-9). Your paper must correctly cite the sources you use as well. If your paper is

plagiarized, you will receive a zero per Serrano’s 12th grade English policy.


Senior Project Proposal Letter Example

Type in Times New Roman or Garamond, 12 point font with 1” margins

Your Name

P.O. Box 292222

Phelan, CA 92392-2222 [Your address and phone number]

(760) 555-1212

[Space]

May 5, 2017

[Space]

Mr. Matthew Bodell

Serrano High School [Address to your own English teacher]

P.O. Box 296000

Phelan, CA 92329-6000

[Space]

Dear Mr. Bodell:

[Space]

In the first paragraph, introduce your thematic unit. Then, introduce the novel you have selected to anchor your thematic unit upon. How does this novel fit this thematic unit idea?

[Space]

In the second paragraph, introduce at least two pieces of poetry that you would use if you were teaching this novel to high school students. Why would you include these poems? Explain the

connections to the theme or the time period or the relationship the poem might have to the novel. How would these poems help to understand the novel? How would they help understand the broader theme?

[Space]

In the third paragraph, discuss at least one non-fiction piece or short story you chose to include and explain its relevance or significance to the theme.

[Space]

In the fourth paragraph, introduce the artistic pieces you would include in this thematic unit. What pieces would you include? List them and discuss their relevance just like you did for the

second paragraph. These could include paintings, sculptures, musical pieces, and even film. [Space]

In the final paragraph, discuss the resources that you found to be the most helpful in organizing your thematic unit. Argue for or against using this unit in an actual AP English class. Do you

think the novel and theme would fit well into the curriculum? Do you think students would be receptive to it? Or do you think this novel is still better left to be an independent, self-guided

seminar novel for AP students to choose from during second semester? [Space]

Sincerely,

[Four Spaces]

Your handwritten signature

Your name typed as written above.


Name ___________________

AP Portfolio Grading Rubric

Your Completed Portfolio is due on or before May _________.

All items required for completion and this rubric must be included in the portfolio on the due date.

Standard late work policy is in effect: ½ off for 5 days, 0 credit after 6 days or more.

Writing 1. Final Draft of your essay with Works Cited Page Rubric Score /20

MLA (Page format, citations, Works Cited)

Source Use (at least 3 credible sources used) /4

2. Rough Draft with rubric /3 3. Annotated Bibliographies /3 w/ annotated articles if you have them /30 Reading Journals 4. Reading Journals for novel (25 entries) graded /125 5. Vocab Log (25 words) graded /50 Misc. 6. Proposal Letter for Thematic Unit /100 7. At least 2 poems annotated w/ UT /40 8. At least 1 annotated Short Story or N.F. piece /30 w/ at least 5 RJ style entries 9. At least 2 pieces of art annotated /40 (paintings, music, film, etc.)

Portfolio organization ◊ A clean binder with a creative cover and 10 20 30 40

Your name, the date, your instructor’s name, and the course name

◊ A creative title that accentuates your thematic unit

◊ Section dividers for each of the numbered items on this rubric

◊ Everything is in the order of this rubric, and please don’t put a bunch of items in one plastic sheet which

would require me to pull them out to read them. Do not put your essay in plastic.

Overall Performance on this Senior Project /100 Mastery of objectives is clearly exhibited

Complexity and depth is clearly exhibited /350

Thorough understanding of topics is clearly exhibited Effort expended is clearly evident - Challenge is obvious

Degree of critical thinking skills is clearly exhibited

the ap literary analysis research...

Documents