Once you start looking more deeply at what the story/poem is about, choose a topic or theme that interests you. In order to find this, you can
Look back at your course notes.
Think back to class discussions.
Review parts of the story/poem that resonated with you.
Examine formal elements in your text such as symbolism, structure, characterization, setting, etc.
Try to answer a question you don't understand. For example,
"Why can't Hamlet make up his mind?"
"What does the whiteness of Moby Dick symbolize?"
"Why does Eliot use other languages in his poem?"
It is important to choose something that interests you, since you will have a chance to explore this issue more deeply. By looking into some aspect of the story in greater detail, you should be able to narrow down your topic.
Adapted from Writing the English Essay by Mary Ann Armstrong.
Now that you have your topic, grab a blank piece of paper and do some brainstorming. You can jot down things like
instances of plot, metaphor, symbolism or character interaction that are related to your topic
identification of themes and how they are being developed
evaluation of the research you have done: what arguments have others made about this text? Do you agree with them or not?
Look at how some of these aspects might be working together and see what kind of conclusion you can draw from them. This conclusion will become your thesis statement. Try to stay focused on aspects that are related to a similar theme or topic to help you stay focused on something specific.
Look back carefully at your primary text (which is the story or poem you are writing about), and find quotations that help support what you want to say about it. To help you save time, keep track of interesting quotations while you read.
If you do this while you read, it will be easier for you to find evidence and quotations that will support the argument or analysis you decide to make.
If you are not writing a research essay, your primary text will be the main source you use to support your argument. Some instructors do not require you to use secondary sources so that you can develop the skills of critical reading and analytical thinking. Use this as an opportunity to uncover the layers of meaning that can be found in a literary text and how different elements make and affect meaning.
If you are writing a research essay, you can use other scholarly sources to help you support your argument.This will give you a better understanding of your story/poem, what other people are saying about it, and how your analysis fits into a wider conversation about the text.
Secondary sources can be useful to learn more about
However, this information is to be synthesized by you, so you can express what you think about it. Use the library database to help you find scholarly articles and books on what other people have said about your topic.
Scholarly sources are
For more information on finding scholarly resources, see
Journals or Magazines: understanding the difference (Camosun College)
Adapted from Writing the English Essay by Mary Ann Armstrong and Research Essays LibGuide.
Plagiarism is
Keeping track of your sources will
For each source, you must keep track of
This information must be
Remember
Adapted from the Research Essays LibGuide.
If you do not know where to begin, or you are not finding what you need, ask for research help right away.
Librarians and library technicians working at the Research Help Desks at the Lansdowne and Interurban libraries can save you valuable time and would love to help you find the information you need to write a successful research essay.
Remember, the only silly question is the one you did not ask.
Research help is also available by phone, by email or online through AskAway.